10 Greatest RIDES.....Ever?

[WillMontu]

Rides that I have some appreciation for:

Balder - Need I say more? Every seat has insane airtime

Grand National - If you have a large enough group to take over the ride, it's a lot of fun

Kumba - While it is considered old for a steel coaster, it's still smoother than other rides half its age.

Thunder Coaster - Proof that even Vekoma can make a good woodie

Nemesis - Smooth ride, good theming

Lisebergbanan (aka. the Banana Coaster). A capacity monster and it hugs the terrain well. Hopefully it can recover from its recent 'mishap'

MIB - A good shooting dark ride with competing teams and spinning cars. Unlike other shooting dark rides, the targets are targets and not little colored lights. In addition, the "sad and pathetic" line cuts the wait significantly

Peoplemover/TTA - A 'fun' and relaxing ride

TOT at Disney MGM - Fun ride, especially the launched drops and the horizontal motion of the cars.

S&S Screamin' Swing - I enjoy these rides, the longer the program the better.

 

Other notable rides

Matterhorn - First tubular steel ride

The original Corkscrew at Knotts - Sure it's an Arrow, but it was the first modern inverting coaster and paved the way for the B&M and Intamin rides of today

Jungle Cruise - We saw more animals on this than at Animal Kingdom. Many cast members do an excellent job at narrating the tour

Shoot the Chutes - Wets both riders and spectators. Also good for trying to get Dan to ride (or tackling Ryan and holding him upside down in the splash)

[BeemerBoy]

^^ Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to imply that greeting was all you do. I just always picture the CMs that open the double doors out to the guests with that stoic expression that I love....so I went with "greeter." Anyway, maybe I'll catch you when I'm down there in October.

[jackskellington101]

^^ Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to imply that greeting was all you do. I just always picture the CMs that open the double doors out to the guests with that stoic expression that I love....so I went with "greeter." Anyway, maybe I'll catch you when I'm down there in October.

 

No worries. I'll be around in October, so your chances are good.

[BeemerBoy]

Vekoma Corkscrew Coasters - debuting in the late 1970s, the standard double corkscrew looper quickly ignited the "cloning" business in the industry, it secured Vekoma's place in the industry, and it paved the path for rides based upon a common blueprint for decaded to come, from the Boomerangs to Invertigos to SLCs and hate em or love em, Vekoma has done a lot of revolutionary things for the industry especially in terms of bringing affordable looping coasters to smaller parks.

- Joe

 

Joe, am I wrong on this, or did you mean to say Arrow? As in the standard double corkscrews like Python, Corkscrew @ CP, and the Wabash Cannon Ball? Willmontu's last post eluded to Knott's Corkscrew, and it got me thinking. Although in terms of "hall of fame" status, I'd nominate Revolution first for historical significance, the cloned Arrow corkscrews were definitely a major reason for the general expansion and growth of the industry as a whole. Just as you said, they were a viable investment for many parks to introduce loopers to the general public, and therefore helped pave the way (along with Anton, and also Vekoma, of course), for what we see today.

 

Until I recently learned that Python's days were numbered, I hadn't really thought about how significant this type of coaster really was. I'm sure these types of rides were responsible for many people's "first inversions," as Python was for me.

[asr]

Corkscrew at Cedar Point is not a standerd Arrow Corkscrew or Loop & Corkscrew, CP's Corkscrew is custom design.

 

Back on topic, I definatly think that Drachen Fire and Kumba where influential. They paved the way for modern looping coasters. Also Arrow and Schwarzkopf shuttle loops where influential, they paved the way for modern shuttle coasters.

 

And of course, you can't forget Arrow Corkscrew coasters, without which we might not have looping coasters today. And Bandit at Yomiyoriland I think should be considered an influential ride, it pioneered the style we see on rides like modern Hypercoasters.

[BeemerBoy]

^ Yes, I stand corrected on that one.

[ParkTrips]

Joe, am I wrong on this, or did you mean to say Arrow?

 

No, I stand by Vekoma. They are the kings of the production model

[DejaVu4Life]

Mine are all coasters, but here y'all go

 

1. Apollo's Chariot

 

2. Goliath (The real Goliath, just 48 miles of GA124 and I-20 from home)

 

3. Superman Ride of Steel (I don't care what anyone thinks, B&M Hypers OWN Intamin Hypers)

 

4. Medusa (I'm a sucker for the floorless)

 

5. Deja Vu

 

6. Top Gun The Jet Coaster

 

7. Kraken (another sucker for the floorless)

 

8. The Hulk

 

9. Dueling Dragons

 

10. Hypersonic XLC

[apollo210]

Here are mine:

1) Careosul- No Park would be complete without one

2) Leap the Dips- Last surviving of its kind in the USA and oldest coaster

3) Matterhorn at DL- This was the start of making the baddest coasters around.

4) Roring 20's Corkscrew at KBF (Now Sliverwood)- First suscesful coaster that goes up side down.

5) Batman: The Ride- without this, we might not have DD or all the other inverted coasters

6) X- This ride is still a wonder. The first 4D coaster and flips you all around is amazing!

7) MagnumXL-200- First 200 ft coaster leading the way to push for more hights!

8) Nemisis!- This ground hugging ride is one of the most forceful rides ever! Also, the feeling of speed is great and all of that stuff

9) Loch Ness Monster- A nice ride with interlocking loops so this rides is on every photographers mind!

10) Every schwarzkopf weight drop- the first launched coasters ever! These made the way for new rides such as TTD,KK, and Rita! They might not be much, but they sure made the way for launchies!

[FlyingScooter]

1. Flyingscooters.

2. The Whip.

3. The Bug

4. The Caterpillar (I think there's only one left with a working canopy.)

5. The Wild Mouse

6. Carousels. (Those old PTC's were beautiful.

7. Leap the Dips.

8. Over-the-Falls (euclid beach boat/log flume. One of the first)

9. The Rotor (there'd be no Round-Ups or Gravitrons without it.)

10.Arrow coasters with Tubular steel track

[bigjohnson51]

how about russian mountains- the first wheeled coaster ever in 1804 in paris...

loop-the-loop built in 1901 was the first coaster to attempt a loop that wasn't a perfect circle...even though it wasn't very successful.

 

i had to kick it old school for a post lol

[runnerodb83]

3. I would have to include the defunct BAT, formerly at Kings Island. Most all of us are aware of its history and so forth, but I would also consider the BAT as ground-breaking in terms of engineering marvel during a time period when computers/technology was really beginning to advance to where we are today. Similar to what "X" did with today's technology.

 

I'm glad I searched for the BAT. Truly, the Bat was the first ride where riders sat beneath the track. Up until then, no one had pulled it off. I just wish a ride as wild as the Bat supposedly was could be built.

[i_wear_prada]

nice list

 

well

 

i have alaways liked the log fumes thoes

 

I alaways gotta get my log fume on when ever i got ta a water park

[Reon]

In no particular order:

 

1] Wild Mouse. Not only are the hairpins a great concept, but mice have a small footprint (thus allowing easy placement in parks.) Aside from that, mice have recently blossemed into countless subdivisions, providing new variations and experiences...

2] Cyclops. Easily my favorite coaster ever. This thing is filled with devine airtime, and plenty of twists....I haven't ridden Balder yet, but I have a feeling I'd still enjoy Cyclops more.

3]S&S Towers. I know Intamin ones are nice, but getting shot up almost defines airtime.

4] Chaos. Spinny+Flippy+a name like Chaos=Wii!

5] StormRunner. To me, this is a significant ride, because it showed that Accelorators could do more than go up a really tall hill. Also, placement is great, and the ride itself pwns.

6] King Cobra. I dont care if its a TOGO death machine, this thing's elements flowed like an Anton. It was a perfect mix of air, spins, a loop, and even some variation of a flyby....

7]Logflumes: Although watercoasters are taking their place, I feel flumes are better. I think of them as wet bobsled coasters that go really slow

8] Homemade rides. It takes guts to follow your dreams and actually construct an amusement ride. For that alone, I respect them.

9] Shooting dark rides. Because any ride that lets you kill things is alright in my book.

10] Twisted Twins. Yet another precurser to a great era. I love dueling coasters, and this was the baby to bring them into existance.

[IceDragon]

in no order

 

 

1) Waltzers. the most amazing ride anywhere! How can anyone resist so much fun in such a small space! Its a great investment as each ride is different due to weight and spacing ratios.

 

2) Log Flumes. How much fun are they? I simply adore any park who has a decent sized drop. the footprint doesnt have to be big, but the drops must be pretty fast

 

3) carusels. well, its already been explained, but these are perfect for any kids and adults and they sure do make a park look prettier

 

4) Wild Mouses. either spinning or non-spinning, these pack a punch! the hairpin turns are awesome and the pops of airtime as you go up and over hills is so much fun!

 

5) Nemesis. A B&M Invert that takes the meaning of terrain to the edge! the awesome power of this ride is enough to take your breath away! Watch out for the blood river, and yes, the theme is still being played!

 

6) Rapids. Any park should have these. The more interactive they are, the better!

 

7) Chutes. These are always a nice attraction to have. Try and hit the wall at the end!

 

8) Tea cups. Not fond of spinning? Dont touch the wheel!!! these are an excellent way to make yourself feel nice and sick!

 

9) Freefall towers. These are so much fun! Even if its a launched drop, launched incline or a nice drop, there is always airtime down the next tower!

 

10) Launch Coasters. Anything that launches you at a great speed is a deffinate top 10 in my opinion. Tunnel vision rocks!

[Movieguy]

From my own experiences, I hereby choose my 10 best rides, again in no particular order...

 

1. The Haunted Mansion (WDW) I remember this one from my childhood. When I first rode it when i was 5 years old, I cupped my hands over my ears the whole way through, like I always did when I got nervous. The second time around, however, I rode it eagerly, taking in all the spooky sights and sounds with no fear. To this day, it has been a priority destination each time I step inside The Magic Kingdom.

 

2. Millenium Force The first year of this coaster's operation, I foolishly chickened out and elected not to ride it. The year after though, I finally mustered the courage to go up that goliath of a first hill (no pun intended) and I never looked back. True, my experience with Intamin hypers/gigas is limited to my rides on this and the equally impressive Superman: Ride of Steel at SFDL, but this coaster is still one of the most exhilarating experiences in my life as a park enthusiast. If it's true that there are even better Intamin rides than this now, I can't wait to ride them.

 

3. Thunderbolt: Kennywood Park Just a great classic woodie, that still has teeth after all these years. Forever known in my family as the coaster that bruised my mom's rib, I see it as a woodie that's rough, but not in the uncomfortable, close to death kind of way that you'll find on a Summers woodie, my Mom's rib notwithstanding.

 

4. Spaceship Earth Yes, the ride is old, the technology is somewhat antiquated, and the vehicles could use a little grease. Still, this ride has one thing that a lot of Disney rides these days do not: Heart. The effort and time and imagination put into the creation of this wonderful omnimover attraction far outshines the aging technology that sustains it. I can only hope it will be left to stand as a monument to the other fallen attractions of its ilk, like Horizons.

 

5. Raptor Again, my experience with Beemer inverts is limited, as I've not had a chance to ride any of the ones in Florida, which I hear are terrific. That is why Raptor continues to be my all-time favorite amongst B&M's inverted Efforts, with Alpengeist coming in a close second. It is also one of the few coasters I'm willing to stand in an extremely long line for, which it more often than not has.

 

6. Space Mountain (WDW) It's not the best coaster I've ever ridden, mind you, not by a longshot. But it has provided one of the best all around themed experiences I've come across in my life. There's just something about going through that long, dark, outer space themed queue before the coaster, that makes me think, "I really AM in Disney World".

 

7. Conneuat Park's Blue Streak This woodie has the distinction of being the first true roller coaster I ever rode as a child. Once I got off that first ride with my grandparents, I was forever hooked. It's a shame to hear the park hasn't been doing so well in recent years, but at least they're making an effort to keep my first ever coaster alive and running.

 

8. Kennywood's Jack Rabbit I have to include this one because it was the first coaster my now High School age sister ever rode. She had known about my love of coaster early on, and expressed an interest to ride them ever since she was 3 years old. One day in Kennywood, she got her wish, and even though she was still only about 3 or 4 years old, my parents took her on the Jack Rabbit...she cried after the ride, but it was because the ride had ended! From that point on, I realized that I had created a monster.

 

9. Any Top Spin ride These rides are just wonderfully twisted and thrilling. Each time I get on one, my heart races. I just love them...oh yeah, and so does my sister. In fact she pulled my onto my first one.

 

10. The Bumper Cars! No fair or carnival should be without one of these, just as a general rule. It's just one of those things that's fun for all members of the family. [/b]

[Scaparri]

Not sure if mine will be ten, but here are my top nominations (note: I'm leaving out some of the more obvious ones that are fairly generic, i.e. carousel, bumper cars, etc):

 

Amazing Adventures of Spiderman- I don't think this one can be said enough. I feel like it is the end all be all of simulators. The technology that went into this ride blows my mind and it never ceases to amaze me every time I go on it. Universal set a high mark with the creation of this ride.

 

The Bat- Though this ride had a relatively short life span that was riddled with maintenance problems, it paved the way for suspended and inverted roller coasters. Not to mention it was known to be a pretty wild ride.

 

Batman The Ride- This ride revolutionized the roller coaster industry. Arguably, no coaster design has had a bigger impact on the industry since the steel-tubed Matterhorn. The inverted coaster has become a must have for just about every major park.

 

Vekoma Boomerang- Much like Joe mentioned many moons ago about the Vekoma Corkscrew having such an economic impact on the amusement industry, the Boomerang has had the same impact plus some. The Boomerang made it possible for just about any park to own an impressive-looking, frightening multi-looping steel coaster.

 

Intamin 1st Generation Freefall- Another ride that started it all. Though freefall towers aren't as common as say, the carousel, they have become an amusement park staple that almost always carries a fairly decent line.

 

Flight of Fear- Though this ride isn't always the most obvious, it is significant for multiple reasons. It not only helped usher in the new era of launched coasters (along with S:TE), but it also redefined what can be done with an indoor coaster. The serpentine ball of track was arguably the most twisted, compact track that anybody had ever seen or experienced.

 

Nemesis- Just an engineering masterpiece that is still considered one of the best rides in the world thirteen years after the fact. The concept of this ride with the given height restriction is sheer genius. Throw in the insane theming and you have a ride that is going to be remembered for a very long time.

 

Steel Phantom- I feel like this ride should be a nominee for the ultimate "where there's a will, there's a way" ride. What do you do when you want to build a record breaking ride with very limited space? Through it off the side of a cliff (sort of). What do you do when there's another ride in your way? Make it go through it. Chew this stat. If a Kennywood had never removed the inversions, it would still have the biggest drop of any looping coaster in the world (16 years later) and until this year with the introduction of Port Aventura's new accelerator, it would have been the fastest looping coaster in the world.

 

Millennium Force- This ride shattered records and was technologically innovative. Not mention it still pulls in 3+ hour lines on busy days. You could also argue that it kick started the current battle for the tallest and fastest. And though the polls may be biased and inaccurate, it's not hard to find an enthusiast that finds this to be one of their top five rides, even with the lack of airtime.

 

Just about anything at Disney- Seriously, is there an argument on this one?

 

Well I'll be... ten.

 

EDIT: I probably should have thrown in the Arrow Corkscrew for bringing back the inversion. Oh well. It can be number eleven.

 

I guess this is more of a Ten Most Significant Rides Ever type list.

[alpengeist04]

Wow, I forget about this great thread. Now most, if not all of my top 10 has been mentioned, so I won't go into great detail.

 

Ok, here's my top 10 (in no particular order):

 

1.Carousel-a staple in most amusement parks.

2.Log Flume- again, a staple in most amusement parks.

3.Rapids Ride-no park's water rides are complete without this ride. No matter where you go, it's always one of the most popular rides in the park. ...and the only ride that makes me laugh from start to finish.

4.Spiderman (IOA)- reasons for this ride has already be mentioned.

5.Revenge of the Mummy-again, reasons already mentioned.

6.Batman- The Ride-The first of its kind (trains below the track & 4-across seating)and still a kickass coaster. ...it also led the way for coasters such as Nemesis, DD, and Montu.

7.Kumba-B&M's version of the sitdown multi-looper with a 4-across seating concept. ...this coaster also introduced new elements never before attempted on looping coasters.

8.Magnum-XL-First full-circuit coaster to top 200 feet, need I say more.

9.Superman-ROS (SFDL)-Intamin's first entry into the non-looping hyper/mega market.

10.Intamin Woodie-well, it's the best of both worlds.

 

Now, the perfect park would have all of these.

 

...come to think of it, doesn't IOA/USF have the first 7 on this list. All they need now is a 200 foot Intamin woodie, and they would be the perfect park.

 

Side note: I could probably make a top 10 list of just Disney too.

[bulldogmom]

Wow, this is a hard one. In no particular order:

- Haunted Mansion, WDW- the king of all dark rides

- It's A Small World, WDW (stop laughing, I was 9 when I rode it)

- Ferris wheels- the bigger the better. Some of my favs are the one at Cedar Point and Steel Pier in Atlantic City.

- Vekoma Boomerangs- yes, I am another fan of these. My first was The Bat at Canada's Wonderland- I thought it was the greatest thing

- Drachen Fire BGW -RIP one of the greatest coasters ever- I think it was absolutely criminal to dismantle it

- Magnum, Cedar Point- enough said

-The Beast- truly an original

- Georgia Cyclone, SFOG

- any Sky Wheel (double Ferris wheel)- you rarely see these nowadays

-The OLD Old Mill, Kennywood- not this new Garfield crap- one of the last of the classic dark rides. (for those of you who don't know, a couple years ago Kennywood took this piece of history and rethemed it into "Garfield's Nightmare", with neon Garfields and Odies in it.)

[CoasterExpert13]

Humm....I have a few...in no particular order:

 

1. Phantom's Revenge (Kennywood)- I love this ride, killer speed....crazy fun layout...It's built on jagged terrain, very and the bunny hops are awesome...It's just extremely fun to ride!

 

2. Millennium Force (Cedar Point)- Very fun ride, hard to remember much, cause the wind kept my eyes closed most of the ride. Loved the first drop and over-bank curve. Awesome layout.

 

3. Mantis (Cedar Point)- I love this coaster! Alot of people say it's rough...I don't think so, just maybe the corkie and thats it. The ride is pure fun and happens to be my favorite stand-up....even over Riddler.

 

4. Dominator/BKF (Geauga Lake)-Though the first drop was a bit lame, the rest of the ride was actually fun. I loved the bank curves between the inversions.

 

 

5. Expedition GeForce (Holiday Park)-One of the best Intamin Mega Coasters i've ever ridden. Such a mind blower. The first drop is killer, the rest of the layout is crazy and just as fun.

 

6. Flight of Fear (Paramount's Kings Island)- Very fun ride, rode in dark and with lights on. Very disorienting!

 

 

7. Demon Drop (Cedar Point)- I don't really care for free-fall rides, but this was fun. I had to ride it a few times before I thought i'd might barf. Very pleasurable ride.

 

8. Alpengeist (Busch Gardens Europe)-My 2nd favorite inverted coaster. Alpengeist doesn't get the credit it deserves sometimes. It's a very smooth, fast and fun ride.

 

9. Rator (Cedar Point)-My 3rd favorite inverted coaster. What can I say about the "green machine" that has not already been said?? It's fun, I love the layout and the heartline roll is my favorite inversion on the ride!

 

10. Delirium (Paramount's King Island)-I think it's a cool ride...makes you feel like spinning tops.

[CGM]

Here's mine in no particular order. I haven't ridden many of these but I've based it more on the ride's impact on the theme park industry.

 

Kumba

The first example of a modern multilooper- it premiered in 1993 showing just what B&M were truly capable of for the first time and wowing enthusiasts. It also brought us a heap full of new elements such as the cobra roll, the sit down zero G roll, the dive loop and interlocking corkscrews. All of these are now pretty common on B&Ms but on Kumba they came all at once! I know that I would have been amazed. Particularly since the only other examples of multiloopers before that were all Arrow and Vekoma coasters.

 

Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop

I am genuinely shocked to see so little reference to Schwarzkopf in this thread. He is the man who basically defined the coaster as we see it today. I believe that Schwarzkopf was the first major manufacturer to use the "inside" track system and he was certainly the first to build loops and launches. Many of Schwarzkopf's coasters still run almost as smoothly today as they did back in the 80s and it's little wonder that he has now been called the B&M of his day.

 

Many people may think that the shuttle loop shouldn't be on this list but when it was built, the idea of a launch had simply never been done before. In fact, it had never been done again until the mid-90s when LIMs first came into use. Furthermore, the coaster was cheap for a steel looper, it didn't take up much space at all and it was (and still is) a brilliant ride. It's not surprising that even in the years when we're seeing less and less Schwarzkopfs that you still find these everywhere.

 

Olympia Looping

 

This coaster is the complete opposite of the Shuttle loop- it's huge, it's expensive and most small parks probably couldn't have afforded it but it is still probably the greatest example of Schwarzkopf's achievements. If it was built today it would be seen as an amazing achievement. But knowing it was built in the time before you could use CAD to design a coaster makes it almost beyond belief. With the exception of Eurostar and Schwarzkopf's own Thriller, No travelling coaster has yet come close to the scale and ride length of Olympia Looping.

 

Nemesis

Another early triumph for B&M; even with the likes of Black Mamba, it is still a unique ride. Not only does it interact with the terrain and themeing brilliantly, it is absolutely packed with force and is incredibly fast paced. Its layout is still extremely unique and there has been nothing else quite like it.

 

Magnum XL 200

As a ride it's not generally that high up on my list of must do coasters which is how it differs from many of the other coasters on this list, but this coaster deserves a mention because it was the world's first hypercoaster. This in the long run has lead to such great rides as: Expedition Ge Force, SM: ROS, Nitro, AC and many others.

 

This is also the coaster that started the spree of record breaking coasters that is now generally frowned upon by enthusiasts. I must say that I didn't have a problem with record breaking at all; in fact I thought it was brilliant that there was such competition between parks to outdo each other. That is, until Top Thrill Dragster came along meaning that record breaking coasters will probably never be interesting again.

 

However, it was good while it lasted and for that, Magnum should be better regarded than it is even if it does end up sinking into the ground.

 

Huss Breakdance

I have yet to come across such an insane ride in such a small space. This fairly tame looking ride never fails to impress and has certainly become popular across the world. It is also easily portable and compact making it a popular choice for showmen.

 

Huss Frisbee

This is flat ride that essentially changed the course of the flats industry. It's now hard not to find a flat manufacturer that doesn't make some Frisbee variant. Though as a ride it may have been surpassed by its rival's copies, this is the ride that started the Frisbee revolution.

 

The S&S Spaceshot

Never has a flat quite caught on like this. Ever since the first tower on Stratosphere, S&S towers have spread like crazy becoming a now well known feature of a theme park skyline in about ten years with even the likes of Disney buying them. Whilst it may not be the best tower, it certainly started off the whole tower craze and it is the ride that made S&S.

 

The Voyage

This is probably the finest example of how far wooden coasters have come since the 20s. It sticks to the traditional formula of out and back but everything else about it is completely modern and new. The idea of a coaster that has one or two huge hills and then a series of low to the ground bunny hops and turns is a fairly unique idea and it creates a huge sense of speed and relentlessness. So much speed that 90 degree turns can be used on a woodie. The fact that the layout is built heading into the hill means that the return leg has as much speed and aggression as the outgoing one, if not more. But what makes this coaster truly amazing is the cost. Only $6 million for a coaster that's over 6000 ft long and 160 ft high! For that amount, in terms of large custom steel coasters, you could probably build a fairly small Eurofighter, and that's it! Gravity Group certainly did an amazing job with this one.

 

The Astroland Cyclone

A coaster so good, it hasn't just been cloned by its own builders, but by others... and it is still being cloned in the modern day! This coaster proves that a ride's age doesn't affect its quality and the fact that many of the modern clones of it are worse than the original just shows how good a coaster is (or how well maintained it is). It was revolutionary when it was built and is still a great coaster today

[Homer]

Although I think this has been mentioned before, I have to give props to SheiKra. I am not in the mood right now to compile a list of my opinions...

 

SheiKra- more than just a dive and a turn

When SheiKra was announced back on October 27th, 2004, enthusiasts were in awe of what Busch was doing and that a rumor from BGTGuide actually came true . Beforehand, Dive Machines were seen as a drop and a turn, a rather disappointing ride that was too expensive for many parks' budgets and were seen as one trick ponies to attract guests. But with SheiKra, it proved the Dive Machine could do more than that and added many unique elements to this once "mediocre" design. An Immelman than provides (what Wes calls it) "Yay!" airtime. Then major huge ejector air on a second "vertical" drop (its actually 83.5 degrees). After that, B&M implemented a water splash, something that was in the blueprints for Oblivion, but later scrapped. Following that, the ride died with a boring helix. However, Griffon will steal the spotlight from SheiKra soon, but SheiKra will always remain the revolutionary one since Griffon is basically SheiKra with a different layout and trains. Oh yeah, the trains had tilted back stadium seating, which gave a floorless enough experience without all of the expensive hydraulic doodads.

 

Regardless, SheiKra will always be a revolutionary coaster.[/b]

[imbordisux]

While the title seems to indicate a simple "Top 10" list, I like this "Hall of Fame" style more, where it's not simply about the ride experience (which is always subjective), but also takes into account history and impact on the business.

 

With that said, I couldn't possibly do a list like this on my own, but I'd like to throw a few "nominations" in the hat:

 

Cyclone, Coney Island - Opinions are split on the actual ride experience, but this is the most famous coaster ever. Basketball has Michael Jordan, pro-wrestling has Hulk Hogan, roller-coasters have Cyclone.

 

Batman: The Ride, Six Flags Great America - As far as I'm concerned, no "next gen" innovation in coasters (meaning beyond the obvious "taller, faster, inverting") had more of an impact on the industry. I remember going to "SFGAdv" when they got the clone, and seeing so many people standing there with their jaws on the floor, just watching in amazement sent chills down my spine, even then. Sure, Arrow was the first to suspend the train beneath the track, but B&M took it to the next level by making it able to flip and twist at break-neck speeds; they really showed what could be done when you think outside the box.

 

X, Six Flags Magic Mountain - Like B:TR, but to the next level. I've never ridden it, and I know it gets mixed reviews, but this is another example of great outside-the-box thinking. It's just so weird and different than anything else out there (yeah, yeah, I know, Japan), it really captures the imagination, especially of those of us who haven't ridden it.

 

That's all I wanted to mention. I'm sure others will make arguments for things like Magnum XL, Millenium Force, and TTD for breaking height intervals, but I really don't find that all that special; impressive, yes, but hardly creative. Same goes with various types of launches, or flyers/stand-ups/clam-shells/etc., as I think all of those just seemed like natural extensions of going faster, or experimenting with other rider-positions (but not to the same degree as B:TR or X).

[snuggles]

My list

1. The joyland "rollercoaster" or "nightmare"

It was my first rolleyride, and the airtime on the first drop is insane! It only has a fixed position lapbar, and they allowed slacked seatbelts too!

2. Any classic woodie, I love riding old wood

[Darien Laker]

Corkscrew-KBF. The first successful coaster with inversions. While the ride experience may not be much, and more and more of these are being replaced, they still had to start somewhere.

 

Matterhorn-DL. The first steel rollercoaster definitely deserves mention. Another landmark in coaster history.

 

Magnum XL-200-CP. This ride was the ride that started the "coaster wars", in addition to being the first hyper. The hype surrounding this ride over the years is just rediculous. The experience itself is unlike any other, most hypers are smooth, this one is not at all. Still, there's more to it than that, and I still say the roughness gives the ride "attitude". It's a great ride that I prefer over even my own S:ROS.

 

Batman: The Ride-SFGAm. The first invert. Just look at how many inverted coasters there are now. Even Vekoma has made a cheap version for smaller parks to afford. There are very few major parks without one, and even the old B&M versions still provide smooth rides to this day, with plenty of positive G's.

 

Bat-KI. The first suspended coaster. It may have been a failiure, but it led to an above average series of Arrow coasters, which paved the way to the inverted coaster.

 

EXT-WOF. The first stand-up. This may be considered a gimmick, but there are still a moderate number out there, and in the end, they got crazier and crazier. Maybe someone will purchase another stand-up sometime, but the trend seems to be over.