GateKeeper VS. Wild Eagle

[Jarrett]

Ah, the infamous Clash of the Wing Coasters that has plagued me for so long...

So eight hours? from each other exist two wing coasters with a lot in common, and at the same time, extremely different. Both have had some time on my top ten, both ranked in around the same spot on my top ten when I got them (Wild Eagle #5, GateKeeper #6), both are absolutely gorgeous to look at, and both provide amazing views. However, one of them is a bigger coaster with a more complex drop and more near-misses that not only interacts with the path but stands guard over the main entrance to the park. From the ride you can see the entire coaster-dominated penninsula on which it resides and the enormous lake that surrounds it. This coaster, the less intense of the two, has been marketed as a terrifying death machine right alongside the balls-to-the-wall Intamins that call the park home. However, it doesn't have a clearly defined theme but still looks really nice. The other has a much shorter, simpler layout, a gorgeous theme, and while it doesn't interact with the path, it makes up for that by flying high standing guard over its park on the peak of the central mountain around which it was built. From the mountain you can see the surrounding Smoky Mountain region of the Appalachians as the wooded hills give off the white mist that gives the area its name. This ride is marketed as more of an inspiring challenge than a typical flight of terror that is typically associated with major coasters, yet is generally agreed to be the more intense of the two. And it has possibly the worst theme song of any coaster on the planet.

Gah, I've been going back and forth with these two coasters for two years now and I'm trying to finally decide this year which one I like better. I'm riding them both in the (wing)span of a little over a week, so I should have a pretty good way to compare both of them. One of them will keep the spot currently occupied by GateKeeper, though, that's for sure. I know enthusiasts typically don't like wing coasters but my tastes aren't like that of a typical enthusiast, so I'd really like to figure out which one I like better.

If I ever get the money, I'm buying some land and having B&M build "Jarrett's Unpopular Opinion: The Ride." It'd be a very nice but entirely forceless wing coaster with trains themed to puffins.

So that's the dish, I challenge YOU to make the decision that has plagued me for so long! GateKeeper or Wild Eagle, let the battle begin!

 

[Chris Coasters]

My fellow Wing Coaster lover Jarrett. I love both of these rides a whole bunch. When I rode Wild Eagle it went to my number 2 favorite coaster and then when I rode GateKeeper that went to my 2nd favorite coaster. Both rides are still top 20 for me coming in at 10 and 12. I love everything about both coasters. Both are smooth, both have a decent height and speed with great inversions. Gatekeepers drop and keyholes really do it for me but Wild Eagle has the great views and surroundings. My vote goes to Gatekeeper but it is really close.

 

[Jarrett]

I think I've finally made up my mind.

Both are AMAZING coasters and I love both, but I gotta give this one to GateKeeper like you. Wild Eagle can provide some of the best rides you'll ever get on a coaster (my first ride was after it had rained in the area and the water was evaporating off of the mountains, and recently I got to ride it at night during the fireworks with heat lightning in the sky), but at the end of the day, GateKeeper is the better coaster. The first time I rode it in the front on the left it went to my number five and when I rode it this season in May I got to ride it on the right in the front during the rain and as painful as it was, it WAS a better ride than a normal Wild Eagle ride. So the way I see it, like you, I like the keyholes and drop, and having the vest unlocked on that drop is just a bunch of terrifying crap your pants awesomeness. Wild Eagle's layout, on the other hand, is sufficient to give a good ride because of its prime location but considering how none of the elements really stand out except for maybe the loop and the eight curve combined with the locked vests, I've gotta give this one to GateKeeper.

 

[Darren B]

Judging purely on the POV of Wild eagle I'd give my vote to Gatekeeper.

However, wing coasters as a whole are pretty meh. They're not a bad ride and are generally good fun but they just don't do it as a thrill coaster for me. One thing I will say though; Europe thrashes the states for wing coasters, and I can't say that about many other ride types. Flug and Swarm IMO are both better than Gatekeeper and X Flight.