Do you prefer a straight first drop or a twisted first drop on a roller coaster?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. On a gravity-fed roller coaster, the first drop is a key part of the experience. It gets the ride going, and sometimes, it can provide a means to start the ride with a real bang. The first drop can provide huge airtime, surprising laterals, or even both in some cases, and the first drop can be either straight or twisted. With this in mind, I’d be interested to know; do you prefer your first drop straight or twisted? Do you like a drop that just goes straight down, or do you prefer a bit of directional change to be thrown in there too?

Personally, I tend to lean towards a straight first drop. A straight first drop can often be a brilliant means to start the ride off with huge airtime, and when I think about some of the best straight first drops I’ve ridden, I can’t think of a twisted drop that’s given me the same pleasure. For instance, Iron Gwazi’s first drop is absolutely obscene, with absurd ejector airtime the whole way down; it was truly sublime, and I dare say that it was my favourite element of the ride! I’m also a huge fan of Mako’s first drop; you get a phenomenal kick of wonderfully strong sustained ejector the whole way down, and on the back row, you get a surprising pull out of the seat! Those two coasters easily have my two favourite first drops on a gravity-fed roller coaster, and I can’t think of a twisted drop that meets quite that same level of ecstasy for me.

But which do you prefer? Are you a fan of a straight first drop, or do you prefer your first drop to be twisted?

 

[ScottLann]

I definitely prefer a straight drop, and for the exact same reasons you mentioned above Matt.

But I can't deny, the twisted drop on Lost Gravity was pretty insane too!

 

[Sandman]

Ok so off the top of my head, some of my favourite first drops include:
- Shambhala (straight)
- El Toro (straight)
- Nitro (straight)
- Expedition GeForce (twist)
- Kondaa (twist)
- Balder (eh, it's sorta twisted but kicks into a straight drop)

So, I guess it depends on the ride and it's individual merit.

 

[Snoo]

Yes.

 

[Ethan]

Coasters like Shambhala make me want to say straight, but Kondaa's first drop on the back row is so foul that I can't say for sure!

 

[Inverting_Thrills]

Twisted drops can be fun but I have found that straight drops tend to be more fun.

 

[LightningColossus46]

Best are mostly straight with a small kink. Think Twisted colossus or iron gwazi.

 

[I'veGotFourB&MsInMyGarden]

Best are mostly straight with a small kink. Think Twisted colossus or iron gwazi.

I think I'd probably agree with this

 

[Hyde]

For whatever reason, the airtime seems to hit better on straight.

 

[CanobieFan]

For tall rides, gotta go with straight drops. Super excited for the 400 foot back spike on Dragster for that reason. The twist on that (and Ka) almost distract from the massive height since you're looking down through the twist and not actually appreciating how high off the ground you are.

 

[Esther7]

I agree with most of you. I prefer a straight first drop because I usually enjoy it more, although I love all drops in all their versions, the higher the better!

 

[HeartlineCoaster]

I'll go minority with a twist for now. I assume it means anything that isn't dead straight, as opposed to needing to be Exp. GeForce or something.

On more recent anecdotal evidence even it's something more subtle, the surprise extra forces on a drop like Iron Rattler's were much more entertaining than the several near-identical straight drops on other RMCs.

Amongst my favourites, there's nothing particularly first drop heavy, if at all. If it is, there's usually something special going on with it.

 

[Rob Coasters]

Having ranked the first drops of every non-launched coaster in my top 25, it is an exact alternation of...

1st place - Big One (curved)
2nd place - Saw (straight)
3rd place - Lost Gravity (curved)
4th place - Speed (straight)
5th place - Smiler (curved)
6th place - Cu Chulainn (straight)
7th place - Balder (curved)
8th place - Oblivion (straight)

So how do I answer this question then.

 

[RevolutionRuleZ]

Double...Grand National