Last week I was chatting about some of the theme parks I really want to visit which you can view HERE. This week I thought I would talk about rollercoasters that I have ridden, specifically, My Top 10. From what I remember, having a Top 10 Rollercoasters list is something that all enthusiasts do, and they will passionately defend their list and the coasters on it. Obviously, every person has a different set of ‘measurements’ for what they love about rollercoasters and what they think makes them awesome. Just like each individual top 10, the process in which a person determines their favourite coasters varies from person to person and in itself can be cause for debate. Some people will favour coasters that are pure speed machines and others will favour ejector airtime. There is a really wide range of factors that you can look at when thinking about your favourite rollercoasters. For me personally, when I think about what I love about rollercoasters I immediately think about speed, intensity, airtime, theming and nostalgia.
Nostalgia may seem like a very odd bar to measure a rollercoaster on and I do think that sometimes, some coasters are regarded as still being world-leading rides for purely nostalgic reasons. I am not saying that is right or wrong by the way. I’ve seen commentary on social media in the past that implies that we should move past that nostalgia to be ‘fairer’ in how we view a coaster. I disagree, when you get down to it, nostalgia is a very specific individual preference. I do think that nostalgia can play a massive part in how you shape a Top 10, for better or worse. I’m not afraid to admit that some of the coasters on my list may not necessarily be the best in the world (although I would still argue that they are up there amongst the best for sure), but they have always retained a spot in my Top 10, in part, because of that sense of nostalgia.
For some of the best rollercoasters out there, you will always remember the first time you ride them and the impact it had on you. Obviously, it is impossible to replicate that ‘first-ride’ experience, because the element of surprise and the unknown is now gone. However, to an extent, that first experience clings to our memories and there is a degree of longing to repeat the sensation. Some coasters, while they can never live up to that first ride experience, they still deliver all of the thrills and excitement you are hoping for, time and time again. While on the other end of the scale, there are some coasters you can repeatedly ride and actually tarnish that first impact. A great example of that for me would be ‘Winja’s’ at Phantasialand, Brühl, Germany. The first time I rode that Maurer Spinning Coaster I thought it was easily the best spinning coaster ever. I enjoyed it so much. Of course, I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t ridden it but there are some surprises along the way. Unfortunately, once you have ridden it and the cat is out of the bag (not one of the surprises), it changes the ride experience. I remember returning years after riding it for the first time and being so excited to ride it again because of how much I loved it on a previous trip. Perhaps I should have managed my excitement and expectation, but I came off of it being really underwhelmed because outside of the few surprises, it is actually a pretty standard spinning coaster. I’d probably rank ‘Dragon’s Fury’ at Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey, (UK) above it.
Why am I rambling on about all this? Well, as I have said, how you rank your favourite coasters (or anything for that matter) is a very personal thing. There is no right or wrong answer, no matter what any elitist, gatekeeping enthusiast might tell you. For me personally, nostalgia definitely plays a part in my Top 10. Some coasters are high on my list that I long to ride again because they remind me of a particular time in my life. Whether it was a holiday, a specific day or even a friendship (yup, some coasters make me think of certain people), re-riding those coasters brings back some great memories and always will do, so I enjoy those coasters that much more, regardless of whether that particular coaster is considered ‘better’ by technical standards. Besides, isn't one of the key selling points of any theme park to create incredible experiences that live on in your memory for years to come ie. creating nostalgia?
Naturally, I will explain this further when it applies in my own Top 10. Of course, I haven’t really been to very many theme parks over the last few years, so there is an element of my Top 10 that is somewhat ‘dated’, for want of a better word and if that isn’t an example of nostalgia in itself then I don’t know what is but anyway, enough rambling, let’s get on with my list.
‘Colossus’, or as it is now known, ‘Colossus – Kampf der Giganten’ was at one point, my absolute favourite wooden coaster in the world. At the time, it was probably the tallest and fastest ‘woodie’ I had ever ridden. I remember it being relentlessly fast from the first drop through to the end. I love a rollercoaster that maintains the thrill and doesn’t die off in its final sections. This fits that bill perfectly with a ridiculous amount of airtime thrown in to boot. Unfortunately, after returning to Heide Park several years later, it dropped down my list a bit. While it still had that glorious speed and airtime, the time had not been kind to it and it had gotten rough enough that both my husband and I came off with headaches. This is a perfect example of how nostalgia can have a negative impact. I’d definitely been vocal on the trip about how amazing Colossus was, only to come off feeling a little cheated. It was actually ‘standing but not operating’ (SBNO) for from 2016 to 2019 due to ‘technical track issues’ so that certainly goes some way to explain the bad experience I had. That being said, I really want to go back and ride it again after the extensive refurbishment and retheming work and see whether it has returned to its former glory.
Today, this is now known as ‘Incredicoaster’ after it was rethemed in 2018 to include characters from Disney Pixar’s ‘The Incredibles’. I haven’t ridden it with the new theme so I can’t really talk about what impact that has on the overall experience of the ride. In its original form, it snuck onto my Top 10 and is probably the one that is least expected here. As mentioned already, I love a nostalgia trip and visiting those early amusement parks. As ‘California Screamin’’, the coaster was themed, with a certain element of rose-tint, to evoke those old boardwalk amusement parks. Despite being a steel coaster, the entire layout is themed to look like a wooden coaster, which for me, is aesthetically a cool choice and quite an effort too. I’ve always championed ‘Screamin’’ as being a really solid overall experience. For me, it has it all. It has the experience of both an impactful launch and an adrenaline building lift hill, it has a single inversion and it has little pops of airtime along the way. In some ways, it rides like typical steel coaster but it also has similarities in layout to traditional wooden coasters so that is a win-win. It is still amongst some of the longest coasters in the world so there is no danger of getting off feeling short-changed. It is not excessively intense, but it isn’t tame either. It is in a Disney park, which naturally means for me, it adds to the positive experience and finally, it has (or had) an absolutely brilliant onboard audio score that was perfectly written to match every manoeuvre throughout the ride. It is an ‘incredible’ overall experience (see what I did there) which retains a high level of re-rideability.
If I was asked to suggest a non-uk theme park for any UK theme park lover to head to, Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden would be up amongst the very top of the list. It is a stunning place that actually has a few pretty awesome coasters, another of which features on this list too! ‘Balder’ is another Intamin ‘woodie’ like ‘Collosos’ that has had its fair share of acclaim. It is fast, filled with airtime but is more chaotic than ‘Collosos’. My only criticism of this coaster is that it can depend on the time of day you ride it as to what experience you get. If you ride when it opens, you may find that while still very good, very quick and has some airtime, it doesn’t come anywhere close to the type of experience you will get later in the day. As this coaster warms up it takes on a whole new level experience which feels so much faster and with so much more airtime. Everything about riding it at night feels amped up. It still amazes me how much a rollercoaster experience can change from when the wheels are cooler at the beginning of the day through to when it has truly warmed up. ‘Balder’ is a very good example of that.
The first B&M inverted coaster on my list (well, of course, there was going to be an appearance from a certain other UK monster) was a bit of surprise if I am honest. Having now ridden quite a few of these B&M inverts there is an extent to which I find them a little samey and a bit predictable. That is in no way saying that they are bad coasters at all, any park that chooses to purchase a B&M is onto a winner in my opinion. I’ve always said that even a ‘bad’ B&M is better than most other rollercoasters out there. They are certainly consistent. What elevates ‘Black Mamba’ for me was that it has a wonderful overall ride experience, but it is also absolutely beautiful to look at. The theming throughout the ride and the surrounding area is superb. The coaster takes its name from a species of snake which is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Naturally, the location is all themed to be that African village location and the coaster is the snake, winding its way around the village. Obviously, a snake can’t perform the inversions that you experience on the coaster but there are elements of the layout, particularly in the later sections of the ride where the coaster actually feels like you are snake slithering in and out amongst the rocks. A large portion of the ride is also built below ground level, much like ‘Nemesis’ at Alton Towers, UK, so you are diving in and out of tunnels with a lot of terrain interaction which makes it feel that much faster too. I’ve been lucky enough to ride this several times on separate occasions and it is definitely one I can’t wait to get back to and ride again along with many other world-class attractions that Phantasialand now has, I’m looking at you Taron!
We are heading back to Sweden now for the first Rocky Mountain Construction coaster on my list. It is kind of telling that I have only ridden two of their rollercoasters and both of them landed solidly in my Top 10. I think it says a lot about the type of ride experience I favour for sure. ‘Wildfire’ is a relentlessly fast and chaotic wood and steel hybrid coaster and was the first I ever rode. Naturally, the growing reputation of ‘RMC’ for creating world-class coasters certainly had me very excited to ride one of them and ‘Wildfire’ did not disappoint. One of the things I love the most about wooden coasters is how they seem to retain speed and intensity throughout the whole layout and ‘RMC’ seem to have perfected this feature. There is something unusual and almost ‘dangerous’ about the idea of a woodie that inverts and actually pulls off manoeuvres that would seem physically impossible. It bends in ways that very few coasters, if any at all, have ever managed. The inverted zero-G stall is one of the most unusual but awesome elements I have experienced on a coaster. It is packed with airtime hills and ‘near-misses’ with track supports and terrain that help keep the adrenaline pounding although while it does maintain really good speed in its latter section, it does seem to tail off in terms of the bizarre manoeuvres and becomes more like the end of a more traditional coaster which may be a critique for some. I personally love it from start to finish but I can see where some people may think it falls off towards the end.
I spoke in my previous article about how X2 was unlike any other single rollercoaster experience I had ever had. For some, this may be a little bit of a ‘controversial’ choice. I think it is fair to say that the coaster doesn’t exactly have the best reputation. Originally opening to the public in 2002 called simply ‘X’ it was the first Arrow Dynamics 4th Dimension prototype coaster. As a prototype, it was plagued with technical issues and extended downtime. Unfortunately, on our first visit to California on in 2008 it was closed and undergoing a major refurbishment and the installation of new trains and effects. I remember being absolutely gutted at the time because I was literally at the foot of this beast looking up and not being able to ride it. It is probably the most harrowing experience of being ‘spited’ by a closed rollercoaster I have ever had. If you don’t know what being spited is, it is essentially attending a theme park intending to ride all of the coasters except one or more of them is closed. You get spited. It's spiteful that you are going to having a missing line on the checksheet. I'm sure you get the gist but it was a phrase that a friend of mine came up with and it stuck and I was very bitter about missing it the first time ok!
Anyhow, we returned to California in 2017 and this time it was not closed. To this day I remain adamant that there really is nothing like it (apart from those of the same type that have been built since I imagine). ‘X2’ is insanity in rollercoaster form. It is absolutely brutal. For some that brutality is not a good thing but I loved it. I felt like a rag doll being thrown around in a washing machine on a spin cycle and there were times I no longer knew which way was up. It twists and turns in the most unusual ways and just doesn’t let up. It was fast, thrilling and intense by the bucket load. If I was to wish for any coaster type to turn up the UK, I would obviously pick an ‘RMC’ (everyone seems to) but I would really want to see a true 4th dimension coaster so I didn’t have to go so far or so long between visits.
Sticking around in Six Flags Magic Mountain and over on the other side of the park is the only other Rocky Mountain Construction coaster I have ridden, ‘Twisted Colossus’. I had been lucky enough to ride the duelling wooden coaster ‘Colossus’ back on our first visit and I actually really enjoyed it. It wasn’t necessarily Top 10 material, but it was definitely thought of fondly. Like many traditional wooden coasters around the world, especially of an older generation, ‘Colossus’ had been operating since the ’70s and was ageing. I may be wrong, but I believe it was not the first time that ‘RMC’ has been brought in to give a wooden coaster a new lease of life and it certainly wasn’t the last. Giving it a new lease of life is an understatement when it comes to ‘Twisted Colossus’. Much like ‘Wildfire’, it maintains a fantastic speed throughout the circuit of literally twisted elements. The added ‘bonus’ here is that at times you find yourself duelling with another train on the circuit. As mentioned previously, the original ‘Colossus’ was a duelling wooden coaster meaning you would pick which side you wanted to ride (if they were both open of course). When RMC came in, they kept this duelling element but actually turned into a single coaster, essentially, taking in both layouts. On a good day, you have a train on the first ‘layout’ while another is on the second half of the track which provides some really cool duelling and racing elements like having another train invert right above your head. A ‘duelling’ RMC is certainly a spectacle to behold!
“When you ride Nemesis, remember its history. It is awesome. There is no comparison. This is the legend but don't try to understand, don't try to come to terms with it, don't even try to think about it.
Nemesis at Alton Towers. Sit back. It's fright time!”
I really don’t need to say too much about this coaster that I haven’t already said in my article about the 25th Anniversary of the coaster last year but I am going to anyway. With its terrain hugging, extended acceleration and sustained intensity, ‘Nemesis’ is still my favourite Rollercoaster in the UK and by some margin. There have been many in the UK and even around the world that has tried to match just how incredible ‘Nemesis’ is, but for me, nothing even comes close to it. In my humble opinion, it still stands up as a world-class attraction and came about as ‘happy accident’. The nature of its layout was born out of the legal requirement for Alton Towers to keep the coaster below tree height which meant the designers had to be incredibly creative and innovative when designing this one and in reality, it created a beast of a machine. I still remember my first experience of ‘Nemesis’ in 1998. It was the first major, world-class, level coaster I had ever ridden. At that point, my only other experiences were The Vampire and The Rattlesnake at Chessington World of Adventures. Nemesis was a massive shock to the system and was the first time I had seen the type of coaster more typical in the USA on UK soil. It, along with the ‘Pepsi Max Big One’ at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, sparked a resurgence of coaster innovation in the UK back when they opened in 1994.
Nemesis at Alton Towers. Sit back. It's fright time!”
I really don’t need to say too much about this coaster that I haven’t already said in my article about the 25th Anniversary of the coaster last year but I am going to anyway. With its terrain hugging, extended acceleration and sustained intensity, ‘Nemesis’ is still my favourite Rollercoaster in the UK and by some margin. There have been many in the UK and even around the world that has tried to match just how incredible ‘Nemesis’ is, but for me, nothing even comes close to it. In my humble opinion, it still stands up as a world-class attraction and came about as ‘happy accident’. The nature of its layout was born out of the legal requirement for Alton Towers to keep the coaster below tree height which meant the designers had to be incredibly creative and innovative when designing this one and in reality, it created a beast of a machine. I still remember my first experience of ‘Nemesis’ in 1998. It was the first major, world-class, level coaster I had ever ridden. At that point, my only other experiences were The Vampire and The Rattlesnake at Chessington World of Adventures. Nemesis was a massive shock to the system and was the first time I had seen the type of coaster more typical in the USA on UK soil. It, along with the ‘Pepsi Max Big One’ at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, sparked a resurgence of coaster innovation in the UK back when they opened in 1994.
Absolutely, nostalgia comes into play here. When ‘Nemesis’ opened 26 years ago it was unlike anything we had ever seen in the UK so it was totally new, exciting and fresh. It was quite easily the best coaster in the UK simply because we had nothing else like it whatsoever, there was no comparison. Was it actually a great ride experience though? Yes. Undoubtedly. Is it still, 26 years later, a great, world-class ride experience? Yes. Undoubtedly. In 26 years of rollercoaster development all around the world, ‘Nemesis’ still stands amongst the giants. To a certain degree, it is STILL my yardstick by which I judge and measure all other coasters even though some are in no way comparable. ‘Nemesis’ never fails to remind me, in all of its intense glory, why I fell in love with rollercoasters in the first place and yes, that comes with a massive dose of nostalgia.
Given my passion for and love of ‘Nemesis’, you may be wondering how on earth can anything stand up against it but there are just a couple of coasters that have managed to impress me even more…
Heading back over to Liseberg in Sweden now for another of their incredible rollercoasters, ‘Helix’. To a certain extent, ‘Helix’ shares a few similarities with ‘Nemesis’. Being built on the side of a rather large hill meant that the designers were also challenged to be creative and innovative with the layout to actually make the coaster work. An additional 40 Million Kronor was spent on rock blasting to carve out the terrain for the coaster! I had never been a particular fan of Mack Rides rollercoasters in that most of what I had ridden was just ok. There was nothing spectacular. ‘Helix’ was most definitely a surprise. Where many of the coasters in my Top 10 have that relentless speed, I found ‘Helix’ to be more graceful. It just seems to glide effortlessly around its circuit at great speed. It rides very smoothly and has some impressive inversions and the launches give just the right punch without being obnoxious about it. Whilst sharing some terrain similarities with ‘Nemesis’, it is a completely also a different ride experience but in the best way. For the longest time, I was in two minds about which of the two was better. Ultimately there are a few things that helped me decide which some might consider inconsequential. ‘Helix’ won out for having almost double the length whilst still maintaining a fantastic ride experience. Of course, being longer doesn’t in any way mean a ride is better but ‘Helix’ makes every last foot of track count. Another factor was the lap-bars. Over the shoulder restraints, whilst are perfectly fine and do a very good job in the name of safety (certain coasters simply wouldn’t exist without them) can sometimes be quite restrictive. Having lap-bars gives a sense of being more risqué so to speak and coupled with those impressive inversions and launches it gives a really unique and exciting ride experience. Oh, and it is damn stunning at night!
I can already hear the potential groans of a dozen enthusiasts (if a dozen even read this) the moment they saw that banner and realised that ‘Expedition GeForce’ is my favourite rollercoaster in the world. I’m well aware of just how many people disagree with me about how good it really is. Still. Where do I start with this one? Well, I first rode it back in 2005 on what was my first ‘lads holiday’ which in itself was a big deal for me. I never ever thought I’d even go on one of those types of a holiday! Of course, this was in no way a conventional lads holiday so I wasn’t entirely wrong about the type of holiday because we were taking a 400-mile road trip through Germany stopping at theme parks along the way. It was a big deal for me and will always be one of the most memorable trips of my life, so there is a whole chunk of nostalgia just for that trip right there.
Anyhow, at the time ‘Expedition GeForce’ had been voted the number 1 rollercoaster in the world a few times in a poll which some have since argued was flawed and easily influenced by a certain large coaster community. At the time it certainly set an expectation. In my mind, from everything I had been told, this coaster was going to better than ‘Nemesis’!
Given my passion for and love of ‘Nemesis’, you may be wondering how on earth can anything stand up against it but there are just a couple of coasters that have managed to impress me even more…
Anyhow, at the time ‘Expedition GeForce’ had been voted the number 1 rollercoaster in the world a few times in a poll which some have since argued was flawed and easily influenced by a certain large coaster community. At the time it certainly set an expectation. In my mind, from everything I had been told, this coaster was going to better than ‘Nemesis’!
Much like ‘Nemesis’, ‘EGF’ feels like a happy accident. Residing in what was a little park, with only a small number of other attractions, none of which you could consider world-class, there was a great big Intamin Mega Coaster. You could say that a park like this had no business having a coaster like this. I’m not entirely convinced that they truly knew what they were getting when they ordered it! For a time, it was the tallest coaster in Europe and for two days, it was also the tallest I had ridden. Until Silver Star at Europa Park a couple of days later that is. Entering the park, you would never have expected anything at all spectacular to blow your mind in the way only a rollercoaster can. I most definitely say that there was a balance between hearing about its glowing reputation whilst simultaneously existing in the most unassuming setting whilst built a level of expectation and excitement. I was so unbelievably excited to ride Expedition GeForce for so long before I even got anywhere near it. It did not disappoint.
Even the lift hill was exciting to me as it was using a newer cable lift technology which gets you to the top so much quicker than with conventional chain lift rollercoasters. It felt odd, yet exciting as we comparatively hurtled towards the top of the coaster before taking what I still consider to be the best first drop on a coaster anywhere. The train almost feels like it is going to completely flick off the track as it turns down that first drop, like the back of the train is just going to keep on going sideways. Of course, a coaster needs to be more than just a first drop and ‘EGF’ delivers a very fast, airtime filled experience. Much like what I love about ‘Helix’, there is a smooth and graceful way in which ‘EGF’ hurtles around its circuit. One particular element where you experience a pretty good dose of ejector airtime at the same time as a very swift change of direction still sticks out as one of my most favourite ‘elements’ on a coaster. More of them should do that because it is awesome. Overall, the layout is fairly simple and arguably unremarkable, but it absolutely makes up for it in speed and airtime. So much airtime.
The trains themselves are up there with the very best in that it feels like you are sitting so close to the track. We joked at the time it was like being strapped to a tea-tray on wheels. I’m a massive fan of those particular Intamin trains. The seats are very comfortable and there is also the added bonus of unrestrictive lap-bars. I absolutely love every element of this coaster experience.
I’ve since been back to the park a couple of times, once on a very wet day where the coaster opened up late and like I’ve already said about Balder previously, it was running cold and not as quick as my prior experience, for a little while I was of two minds about whether it still sat at my top spot. Another time was possibly the hottest summer I’ve ever experienced in Europe and it ran so incredibly that overall, I still feel like it is the best rollercoaster in the world. It certainly reaffirmed its place at the top for me.
I’ve heard many say that ‘Expedition GeForce’ is overrated and overhyped and to a certain extent I do understand that. For a good few years, it was really raved about which builds a massive level of expectation, an unachievable level. For me personally, riding it takes me back to a time where I was quite literally living my best life, with a couple of my best friends, at the height of my coaster enthusiasm. With that in mind, I will absolutely concede that nostalgia plays a part in why the coaster ranks so highly for me. However, as I’ve already said that I disagree that nostalgia shouldn’t play a part in how you rate a rollercoaster.
I did wonder whether I would still get that same adrenaline rush and excitement on subsequent visits and I can honestly say, I still did, so much so that Holiday Park is still a place I long to return to. In this almost post lockdown world, if there was any coaster I could go ride again right now, it would be ‘EGF’. Both because I know it will evoke some of my happiest memories and because I know I will most definitely get an incredible ride experience all over again.
So, there you have it. My Top 10 favourite rollercoasters. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop them in the comments below or we can even carry on the conversation over on Twitter.
Thanks for stopping by and reading.
Even the lift hill was exciting to me as it was using a newer cable lift technology which gets you to the top so much quicker than with conventional chain lift rollercoasters. It felt odd, yet exciting as we comparatively hurtled towards the top of the coaster before taking what I still consider to be the best first drop on a coaster anywhere. The train almost feels like it is going to completely flick off the track as it turns down that first drop, like the back of the train is just going to keep on going sideways. Of course, a coaster needs to be more than just a first drop and ‘EGF’ delivers a very fast, airtime filled experience. Much like what I love about ‘Helix’, there is a smooth and graceful way in which ‘EGF’ hurtles around its circuit. One particular element where you experience a pretty good dose of ejector airtime at the same time as a very swift change of direction still sticks out as one of my most favourite ‘elements’ on a coaster. More of them should do that because it is awesome. Overall, the layout is fairly simple and arguably unremarkable, but it absolutely makes up for it in speed and airtime. So much airtime.
The trains themselves are up there with the very best in that it feels like you are sitting so close to the track. We joked at the time it was like being strapped to a tea-tray on wheels. I’m a massive fan of those particular Intamin trains. The seats are very comfortable and there is also the added bonus of unrestrictive lap-bars. I absolutely love every element of this coaster experience.
I’ve since been back to the park a couple of times, once on a very wet day where the coaster opened up late and like I’ve already said about Balder previously, it was running cold and not as quick as my prior experience, for a little while I was of two minds about whether it still sat at my top spot. Another time was possibly the hottest summer I’ve ever experienced in Europe and it ran so incredibly that overall, I still feel like it is the best rollercoaster in the world. It certainly reaffirmed its place at the top for me.
I’ve heard many say that ‘Expedition GeForce’ is overrated and overhyped and to a certain extent I do understand that. For a good few years, it was really raved about which builds a massive level of expectation, an unachievable level. For me personally, riding it takes me back to a time where I was quite literally living my best life, with a couple of my best friends, at the height of my coaster enthusiasm. With that in mind, I will absolutely concede that nostalgia plays a part in why the coaster ranks so highly for me. However, as I’ve already said that I disagree that nostalgia shouldn’t play a part in how you rate a rollercoaster.
I did wonder whether I would still get that same adrenaline rush and excitement on subsequent visits and I can honestly say, I still did, so much so that Holiday Park is still a place I long to return to. In this almost post lockdown world, if there was any coaster I could go ride again right now, it would be ‘EGF’. Both because I know it will evoke some of my happiest memories and because I know I will most definitely get an incredible ride experience all over again.
So, there you have it. My Top 10 favourite rollercoasters. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop them in the comments below or we can even carry on the conversation over on Twitter.
Thanks for stopping by and reading.
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