In honor of the special day December 13th, 2014 aka 12/13/14 I am going to post a blog honoring the #12, 13, and 14 ranked coasters according to my rankings. These are the coasters that I feel out of the 165 that I have ridden so far rank in those spots. Here is number 12:
#12 Phoenix at Knoebels Amusement Park
Ah Phoenix. This ride is a classic! I knew going into it that this coaster was going to be incredible and it sure did not disappoint. Phoenix was initially built and named Rocket in 1948, originally located at Playland Park in San Antonio Texas. When Playland shut down in 1980 the ride sat until Knoebels decided to restore the ride and relocate it to their park in 1985. It would turn out to be a wise decision because this wooden coaster has been a huge success for the park.
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| Phoenix |
I had the fortune of finally riding Phoenix back in June of 2013 when I took my East coast coaster trip. Phoenix is special to me because it was the 100th coaster that I had ridden up to that point. The ride itself is small and compact for a wooden coaster. It is only 78 feet high and 3,200 feet long but it sure does pack a punch. The awesome thing about this ride is that it doesn’t have seat belts! Yeah you heard that right, it only has a lapbar. What does that mean you might ask? Well, it means that you really come up out of your seat in those many air time moments the ride offers. And don't you worry, the ride is very safe.
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| 100th Coaster |
The ride starts out on a very slightly declined right turned section of track going through a tunnel (yay, tunnel). What is cool about this tunnel is at night it is pitch black and you actually feel like the ride is going faster than it really is. It also feels like it goes on forever. I think I heard someone joke about it being the “makeout tunnel” or “tunnel of love.” The lift hill is pretty short followed by the 72 foot drop. All I can say about the ride from this point on is that it is absolutely mind blowing. I know you are thinking as you are reading this, “how in the world can this ride be mind blowing if it is a wooden coaster with only a 72 foot drop?” Trust me, it is. It may very well be one of the most fun coasters out there. It is the smoothest wooden coaster I have ever ridden as well, and that is saying something.
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| Lift Hill |
After the drop Phoenix delivers air time like you wouldn’t believe. Seriously you get air time when you didn’t think air time was even possible. There are well over ten moments of air time on Phoenix varying from floater air to ejector air. There is also a double up hill and a double down hill both of which are so much fun and exciting. If you are lucky enough to ride the ride at night (which I was on my visit) you will experience a lot of surprise moments and air time that you weren’t expecting. Most people, after the ride pulls into the station, are laughing and clapping because the ride is just that awesome. Since 1998 Phoenix has consistently ranked in the top ten wooden roller coaster poll from Amusement Today magazine and is currently ranked #4 this year.
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| News crew reports that Phoenix is awesome |
#13 Maverick at Cedar Point
Now this coaster is truly outstanding. If it weren’t for the fact I have ridden so many different great coasters it would probably be ranked higher. In fact, most enthusiasts have it ranked in their top ten and a few as the best coaster they have ridden. I can understand where they are coming from. Maverick is a steel coaster built in 2007 to the costly price of $21 million (well worth it). It was designed so, at the time, it would break a record of steepest drop on a steel coaster going beyond vertical at 95 degrees! Yup, 100 foot drop at 95 degrees. It is nicely themed in a Western style and its setting at the back of the park by the lake is very pretty.
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| Photo credit rcdb.com Ashley Sulter |
The ride takes you on a 4,450 feet of track journey with speed, twists, turns, inversions, more twists, more turns, and nice air time moments. After pulling down your restraint you are taken up the 105 foot tall lift hill at a very quick speed. Before you know it you are thrust down the 100 foot drop at 95 degrees. At this point you come out of your seat entirely and from there take a big right turn into a hill and two inversions. All of these elements are taken very fast so it is an intense yet fun ride.
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| Photo credit rcdb.com Ray Osburn |
The next part of the ride is my favorite. You come to a stop in a tunnel (YAY, another tunnel) and then out of nowhere the ride launches you forward at 70 mph! It is quite the rush. Then you hit a high hill with braking and drop down over a pond. The next element is neat as it takes you sideways over a 90 degree bank and then you swoop down into another turn. At this point, before the ride is over, you hit a huge air time hill with extreme air and then hit the final brake run. It is a really remarkable coaster. It will leave you breathless at the end. It is well deserving of any high ranking it gets.
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| Photo credit Collin Aynes Coastermania 09 |
#14 Goliath at Six Flags over Georgia
Goliath was built in 2006 and is a coaster that is regarded highly among enthusiasts and the general public. At this time Six Flags over Georgia desperately needed a roller coaster that would put them on the map and Goliath did just that. Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) was the designer of this coaster which cost Six Flags $20 million to build. It was built with a 200 foot tall hill and 170 foot drop, reaching speeds of 70 mph, and 4,480 feet of track. After the drop there are hills of 175, 129, 118, 79, 56, and 48 feet. You know what that means? AIRTIME, and lots of it!
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| Hello Goliath |
There are a few elements about the ride that set it apart from other rides built and designed like Goliath. First, is the location. The ride sits directly in the middle of Six Flags over Georgia as a towering force over the entire park. Location is a key element of this coasters design. Second, after taking the giant drop, first giant hill, and second hill, you hit a downward helix. This is such an awesome element that delivers a lot of G-forces along with great acceleration. The downward helix element is one of the reasons a lot of enthusiasts regard Goliath as the best B&M built hyper coaster (over 200 feet) built. Third, again, location. It is one of the very few roller coasters out there that actually exits the park boundaries! The ride actually leaves the park which simply adds to the coasters huge layout.
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| Photo credit rcdb.com |
From there Goliath soars back into the park, over the midway, and into a series of hills that speed through the trees and deliver great amounts of air time. Then right before the final brake run you hit a very small hill that delivers a nice pop of air time. Goliath is a great roller coaster and has been ranked in the top ten every year by Amusement Today since it debuted in 2006. It has ranked as high as #4 in the steel coaster poll and is currently ranked at #9. A lot of enthusiasts regard Goliath as the best built hyper coaster out there, including myself.
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| Now that's a drop |
As most of you know, I ride a lot of roller coasters. It is very hard for me to rank these roller coasters and associate them with a specific number. I do it because it’s fun to compare this coaster to that coaster and see how I think they might be better than each other. Any of these three roller coasters could easily be #1 on anyone’s coaster ranking and I sure would not argue with them. They are all amazing roller coasters. I am sure that my #12, 13, and 14 ranked coasters will change in the coming years as I continue to find new and exciting coasters to add to my track record. However, for now, on 12/13/14 these coasters are ranked accordingly and no matter how they rank in the future they will always be great roller coasters.
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| AIRTIME! photo credit rcdb.com |
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| Drop! photo credit Coasterimage |
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| Goliath lives up to its name |
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