National Geographic Article: ROLLER COASTER PICTURES

UrsoChappell · National Geographic Article: ROLLER COASTER PICTURES

I suspect some on this site have already seen this, but I thought it was great: National Geographic's article, "ROLLER COASTER PICTURES: 125 Years of Thrills"

http://news.nationalgeographic.co...r-pictures-anniversary/index.html

I saw the Corkscrew at Silverwood when I was there in May, but alas, it was the only coaster that wasn't operating on opening day.

MarkE

Awesome!! Thanks for the link!

Darienlakerules

oh coarse they would talk about ttd instead of kinda ka

ChanceWMitchell

Of course they would, TTD is a far better ride than Ka.

The feeling of sitting waiting to be launched with just an itty bitty little lap restraint is 90% of the thrill on that ride, OTSRs completely take that away. Plus Ka's bunny hill offers little in the way of airtime since the brake run starts on the hill, there's actually a trim brake just past the peak of the tophat, and it shuffled pretty badly when I was on it.

EDIT: Plus, I think that TTD being the original means quite a bit. I feel that Ka's thunder was completely stolen by TTD, but rightfully so since TTD was first.

Darienlakerules

ChanceWMitchell

My biggest 3 complaints about Ka are as follows:

1: the OTSRs... honestly, it feels way to secure and is honestly not necessary. I love having the only thing holding me in being a tiny little yellow t-bar that isnt even as wide as my thighs. The added thrill that offers more than makes up for the difference in height and speed, besides... can you even perceive the 8 mph difference between the two Intamin giants? the extra 38 feet, I will admit, is noticeable... especially when just looking at the tower. But again, I consider the little thrill added by the 38 feet to be negligible in comparison to the thrill added by the feeling of insecurity on TTD.

2. The shuffling was pretty bad when I rode it, granted I was in the third car. I love Intamin because they are sooooo smooth (with the exception of the occasional Intamin vibration). Now, I love a rough coaster when it is a ride intended to be rough... hydraulic launch coasters are not intended to be rough by any stretch of the imagination.

3. The trim at the top gives you what, an extra second? second and a half? to look around at the top. Granted that is a nice opportunity to view the park and lovely Jersey country side, I was mildly distracted by the feeling of the OTSRs slamming into my shoulders as the trim bit and missed the opportunity to look around. Perhaps when I was on it, the trim bit harder than usual? That is definitely a possibility. But still, in the world of coasters... trim is the bane of all great rides.

Maybe its because height and speed dont really thrill me much anymore that I have this opinion, but Amusement Today's Golden Ticket awards support my claim so I know I am not alone out there.

Darienlakerules

ChanceWMitchell

Care to address any of the comments I made about the ride itself?

and wait... according to your count it says you've only ridden 18 coasters... I assume Darien Lake is responsible for at least 6 of those, I again assume you've been to SFGAdv which could very well account for the remaining 12... have you even been to Cedar Point?

Darienlakerules

well ok, as you get closer to the front, the smoother the ride. The restraint, well there must have been some reason

ChanceWMitchell

I have since looked more in depth at your track record... and It says you havent been on either...

Tell ya what, go ride each with an open mind. Form your own opinion of each and get back to me.

Darienlakerules

ChanceWMitchell

Stats can only go so far... If you looked at JUST the stats for Son of Beast you would assume it was an incredible ride just because it's so tall and fast when, in reality, it does little more than attempt to kill you.

Im not saying Ka is a bad ride, far from it. I am not even saying you cant believe that Ka is better than TTD, after all everyone is entitled to their own opinion. What I am saying is that you should ride the coasters involved before forming your opinions.

For example, I never would have guessed that I would have liked The Beast more than Diamondback at Kings Island but I absolutely do. Sure, Diamondback had Beast beat in every fathomable statistical comparison (except length), but I still prefer the old woodie. If I had just formed my opinions based purely on stats and forum member opinions (not just this forum, btw) I would think Diamondback to be among the greatest coasters ever conceived by man when I found it to be rather lackluster.

Just go and ride them, then fight for the one you prefer, and if it is still Ka, more power to you

Darienlakerules

WELL SORRY BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS THE TIME OR MONEY TO VISIT TWO PARKS OVER SIX HOURS AWAY[FROM MY HOUSE EVEN FARTHER FROM EACH OTHER] SORRY, BUT i WON'T BE ABLE TO RIDE BOTH ANYTIME SOON.
BTW SORRY FOR THE CAPS

ChanceWMitchell

Wow man, calm down... no rush. Just dont go around saying one is undeniably better than the other until you've had the opportunity to experience both. This time last year I had never been on Ka and I would say that it looked better than TTD, but since I hd never ridden it I can't say much about it.

Doug_Barnes

Alright Guys... It's all good. "Can't we all just get along?" j/k

Anyway, I'm sure the argument can go either way - Some are more interested in Height and Speed, others love Freedom and Nostalgia.

I can't speak for either one because I haven't been on them. I will however, say that the general feedback I get is that TTD has a "Better Rep" & that's all I can really say.

ChanceWMitchell

Let me at 'im! Let me at 'im!

haha, no hard feeling DarienLake, A little coaster banter is always a good time.

p.s. - Doug did say he couldnt comment on them because he hadn't ridden them. Wink

Doug_Barnes

Darienlakerules

I'm just saying what I've gathered from podcast, stats, and reveiws of the rides.

Doug_Barnes

No Prob Darienlakerules! I've heard nothing but good things for both of them as well. Hey, it's all in good fun. Laughing

Darienlakerules

ChanceWMitchell

yup...

Anyways, on to the actual article! I must say that its always impressive to think about how far the industry has come in the past 125 years. I'd love to see the looks on the faces of people from the late 19th century if they saw something along the lines of TTD/Ka. Hell, even Magnum would scare them to death! And apart from the imposing structure of most modern coasters, the shear speeds associated with them would have deterred almost everyone of that era from even considering strapping in.

But there are times I wish I had been around to ride some of those old woodies that I'll never get a chance to experience. I love a rough intense wooden coaster, and I have heard wonderful things about long gone rides like the Idora Park Wildcat, some more John Miller masterpieces, or any of the infamous Travers coasters. Man, I've heard horror stories about the Travers Triplets and I would give almost anything for the opportunity to see just how bad they really were.

The industry has made huge strides since the boom of the 20s and although most modern thrill seekers would rather climb on board a record breaking steal monolith, I will almost always prefer a classic wooden out and back. Perhaps I'm from the wrong era, or perhaps I simply need to crusade for the salvation of classic coasters. Either way, I love almost every coaster I've ridden and cannot wait to ride more!