Haven't posted in a while, but I just came back from a trip to Belgium and Germany and I have a couple of new additions to my top 50.
- Helix (Liseberg)
- Untamed (Walibi Holland)
- Ride to Happiness (Plopsaland de Panne)
- Kondaa (Walibi Belgium)
- Taron (Phantasialand)
- Wildfire (Kolmården)
- Piraten (Djurs Sommerland)
- Nemesis (Alton Towers)
- Expedition GeForce (Holiday Park)
- Shambhala (PortAventura)
- Black Mamba (Phantasialand)
- Colossos (Heide Park)
- Silver Star (Europa Park)
- Junker (PowerPark)
- Joris en de Draak (Efteling)
- Kärnan (Hansa Park)
- Troy (Toverland)
- Cú Chulainn (Tayto Park)
- Dragon Khan (PortAventura)
- Superman: la Atracción de Acero (Parque Warner)
- Monster (Walygator Parc)
- Wodan (Europa Park)
- Anubis (Plopsaland De Panne)
- Fenix (Toverland)
- Blue Fire (Europa Park)
- Fluch von Novgorod (Hansa Park)
- Lost Gravity (Walibi Holland)
- Alpina Blitz (Nigloland)
- Juvelen (Djurs Sommerland)
- Twister (Gröna Lund)
- Colorado Adventure (Phantasialand)
- Baron 1898 (Efteling)
- Balder (Liseberg)
- F.L.Y. (Phantasialand)
- Dwervelwind (Toverland)
- Karacho (Tripsdrill)
- Goliath (Walibi Holland)
- Batman: Arkham Asylum (Parque Warner)
- Lisebergbanan (Liseberg)
- Hals Über Kopf (Tripsdrill)
- Dragon’s Fury (Chessington)
- Krake (Heide Park)
- Lynet (Fårup Sommerland)
- Gold Rush (Slagharen)
- Daemonen (Tivoli Gardens)
- Jetline (Gröna Lund)
- Pulsar (Walibi Belgium)
- Heidi: the Ride (Plopsaland de Panne)
- Winjas Fear & Force (Phantasialand)
- Wild Mouse (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
Ride to Happiness is just pure insanity. Probably the most wild and intense coaster I've ridden. It has some great inversions made even more disorienting by the spinning cars, extreme ejector airtime and fun launches that pack more punch than they should. All of the six rides I had on it felt quite different making the coaster feel varied and fresh every time, but it was consistently fierce and fun. Great onboard audio as well making the ride feel even more hype (although I have to admit that it took me 3 rides to even notice the music because I was just so blown away by the ride experience).
Kondaa I didn't have particularly high expectations of, not even sure why. And while the morning rides on it were fun, it didn't exactly blow me away. But the more it warmed up, the more I fell in love with it. And the back row rides at the end of the day were just something else. It has everything I want from an airtime machine. Comfortable restraints, a long layout packed with strong ejector airtime on every hill (both sustained and small pops) and none of that dull meandering that EGF and Goliath do in the middle part. The first drop is incredible in the back, pulling you down and then twisting you with an amount of force that I had previously only felt on EGF. I could ride this coaster all day without getting bored of it.
FLY is a beautiful coaster to look at, gracefully gliding around the gorgeous Rookburgh area. Riding this coaster feels like an experience (and a bit of a faff as well with the endless queueline without shortcuts and the metal detector/lockers system) and I adored the mystery of it all on my first ride. The coaster itself is gentle and fun, letting you soar around Rookburgh with some fun little effects to spice the ride up. It has nothing on Black Mamba and Taron and it lacks reridability but it's still a great addition to the park.
Hals Über Kopf is Vekoma's new take on a big boi suspended coaster and they did a solid job. While it won't compete with the better B&M inverts, it's fairly forceful in the front seat, with fun and floaty inversions and some footchoppers in the second half. The lap bars give you a lot of freedom, but they do sadly tighten quite a lot throughout the ride.
Pulsar felt quite novel, being a launched shuttle water coaster. It was more thrilling than I expected, and left me completely soaked with a smile on my face. While Kondaa is the big standout coaster Walibi Belgium needed, Pulsar serves its purpose as a fun and unique supporting coaster.
I also made some other changes to my list. Anubis moved up quite a bit because it was running quite well, feeling more smooth than ever and it still has my favourite launch. I just didn't expect to still have such a blast with it after having ridden so many more coasters. Wodan also moved up a decent amount of spots because it was flying through its layout this visit. Felt super out-of-control and powerful, delivering a lot of airtime pops throughout. Blue Fire and Karacho moved down a bit because they didn't impress me as much this time. I think they are just being left behind by better and more exciting coasters being built. Colorado Adventure also moved up after having some great rides on it. It may not be one of the best coasters, but it surely is one of the most fun ones.