Mitch Hawker's Polls (Steel Results - Page 7!)

[SaiyanHajime]

Why do people think there is something wrong with disgussing opinions? Who are you? Mr Al... nevermind.

But I will explain why. Intimidator was obviously running better when I went, as all 6 of us enjoyed it a lot. The boomerang is fab. The racing woodie was fab. Top gun, or whatever the **** it's called... is AMAZING. I even quite liked the weird... Arrow? looping thing and the stand up was... okay. Their flying eagle car swingy things who's official title escapes me were the best of the ones I rode.

You guys clearly had a bad dad there whilst I had a very good day there.

Both people who rode Phoenix with me think it's as amazing as everyone else thinks it is, so that can not be explained away in the same fashion. I just don't get what's so awesome about it. There is better airtime out there, much, much better and yet airtime is the only good thing about it. So what's the deal?

 

[Mike]

I just don't get what's so awesome about it. There is better airtime out there, much, much better and yet airtime is the only good thing about it. So what's the deal?

Please name some of these rides with "much, much better airtime" than Phoenix, because I'm struggling to name many of them! Boulder Dash is one, and the Intamin preFabs are potentially some of the others, but no more.

 

[Snoo]

Personally, unrestricted airtime is something of a commodity as you don't get it very often.. and the fact that I absolutely love airtime and it is rampant on Phoenix enhances the whole experience. Yes, there is better airtime out there... but that doesn't mean what Phoenix offers isn't spectacular in its own right.

And let's not get into Carowinds.. but since I'm here.. The park has two redeeming rides, Top Gun and Timmy. Timmy wasn't near the hype I'd been hearing.. better then AC, DBack, or Goliath (SFoG).. hence it disappointed on that front ontop of the fact that it has almost no airtime.. at all. Top Gun was yum, as you pointed out, but past that.. the park isn't worth a visit.. ever again.

 

[CreditCrazy]

Regarding Phoenix, I truly think it has the best airtime out of anything I've ridden. You're basically standing up in the front seat; it's unbelievable. If it could just have an interesting layout, I think it would be better than Boulder Dash. Still though, with that insane airtime plus the smooth and reridable ride Phoenix gives, I rank it #6 overall and my #2 woodie.

 

[Hixee]

^I think I actually prefer the fact that it's not got a super interesting layout. It makes it so much more unexpected. After Jerry forced us to ride in the front (Brad and I wanted the back seat) we were just so shocked. It was nothing like I expecting. I remember riding with Gavin and we were in fits of laughter the whole way round. It's just so much fun. I didn't find it intense, just... well... brilliant.

 

[Hyde]

Meh, my ballot started running together at the end, especially the lesser woodies at Kennywood.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I just don't get what's so awesome about it. There is better airtime out there, much, much better and yet airtime is the only good thing about it. So what's the deal?

Please name some of these rides with "much, much better airtime" than Phoenix, because I'm struggling to name many of them! Boulder Dash is one, and the Intamin preFabs are potentially some of the others, but no more.

GASM at Georgia? That no one ever talks about? And yet propells you from your seat perpetually?

As for others that I've ridden that I'd say have more airtime than Phoenix... El Toro is probably the only other one I'd be certain of, to be fair there isn't many, but both these coasters do as I said have far more ejector air than Phoenix.

I found Phoenix a little painful if I'm honest, and GASM broke my spine.

I've not ridden Boulder Dash.... But it sounds like it's Phoenix with an interesting layout, which can't be bad.

Presumably, I just don't understand what is so great about ejector airtime, because my top 5 excluding Toro are Beast, Voyage, Ravine Flyer II and after that I put the Lightning Racers. Phoenix was after those.

I feel like people just love ejector airtime because they feel they should and it supposedly deffines the quality of a wooden coaster, in the same way the taste of nothingness suposedly defines good food (scallops and ****ing lobster? Where is the flavour?), when really the relentless pacing of some of those other mentioned rides like Voyage is far more fun.

In response to Hyde...

Haha, I end up ordering the best and the worst and the meh stuff floats in the middle unordered. Kennywood's woodies were extremely low on mine, but they have nothing on the crapness of Georgia Cyclone, Bandit and Antelope.

 

[Ben]

Phoenix is crazy because of the (lack of) restraints. If it had normal restraints it'd be FUN, but not half the coaster it is. Just flying six inches off your seat for seconds on end multiple times is kind of... amazing. And the reason it's my number three woodie.

 

[Hyde]

I have GASM ranking 10th out of 16, as I felt 2 feet shorter because of a crushed spine from massive ejector air, in a bad way. Georgia Cyclone is 9th, which I actually enjoyed riding, as it was the first coaster I've ridden that actually felt like a Sim Themepark creation. Very fast, very rickety, and looks like it could fall over at any moment.

Top five are:

1. RFII
2. Favorite Steel
3. Thunderhead
4. The Beast
5. Thunderbolt

 

[SaiyanHajime]

So, GASM, despite insane airtime is a step too far into the realm of pain?

The food eqvilent would be Naga Jolokia pepper, perhaps?

Maybe I'm just a pansy, because Phoenix hurt me and so does a trip to Nandos.

 

[Hyde]

I only had one go on GASM, and admittedly was sitting on a wheel well. Another friend (who is also a coaster dweeb) was not sitting on a wheel, and had a much more enjoyable ride, so it could have just been where I was sitting. It still hurt like hell though.

 

[MouseAT]

Maybe I'm just a pansy, because Phoenix hurt me and so does a trip to Nandos.

See, I always rode it in the same row fairly near the front of the train (as recommended by one of the US CFers) and it was amazing in that seat. It wasn't painful at all there, just insane ejector launching me straight up out of the seat and into the bar on every hill.

Chris H did ride in some of the other seats and said some of them were a bit painful - in his words "Holy hell that hurt, and holy hell that's cool". I assume that means some seats were not as comfortable as where I was sat.

 

[Ben]

Yeah, row three of the front car is THE BEST THING EVER.

The back hurts >.< The back is kinda crappy tbh.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I also rode GASM on a wheel. Wish I hadn't, because I bet it's pretty good really. Scary how much difference it makes. Friends with me when I went, who rode middle of the car, thought it was awesome.

As for Phoenix, I tried it all over the train and it was better in the front, agreed, but our first ride was back row and I wonder if that's just stuck in my mental picture now?

Anyway, my main point here is this is all mostly subjective. Coasters vary drastically day to day and everything from where you sit, to the weather, to who you were with, to your tiredness, hungriness and god knows what else effects your opinion of any particular experiance. But the idea that opinions are not to be disgussed can stay on other, more elietest coaster fourms, thank you very much. Mostly because we're mature enough to take the idea that someone else might disagree with us here.

PS, Ben, everything you say is wrong. Even when I agree with you.

And this topic makes me want Boulder Dash on my count.

 

[Hyde]

Which makes me wonder how thrown off the Mitch Hawker Wooden Poll will be next year once high CC kids get to go on the GCI at Knight Valley. :razz:

 

[SaiyanHajime]

As with every new good-great coaster, it'll spend it's first year in the top five and we won't know for a few years where it actually belongs when it settles down and makes itself at home in it's correct place, which may still be the top 5.

 

[Mark]

Well I finally got round to submitting mine. I swear its the first time i've done it in about 4 years...

My top 5 are (out of a potential 34)
1. Colossos
2. Balder
3. Megafobia
4. Tonnerre de Zeus
5. Loup-Garou (Weerwolf)

I need to get out and ride some of the bigger monsters in America...

 

[bezzzzzer]

^I second that for myself too.

My Favorite Steel Anypark Anywhere **,y,y,1
Megafobia Oakwood UK,y,y,2
Big Dipper (SBNO) Geauga Lake OH,y,n,3
Blue Streak Cedar Point OH,y,n,4
Wild Mouse Blackpool UK,y,y,5
Roller Coaster Blackpool UK,y,n,6
GhostRider Knott's Berry Farm CA,y,n,7
Stampida Port Aventura ES,y,n,8
Grand National Blackpool UK,y,y,9
Colossus S.F. Magic Mountain CA,y,n,10
Big Dipper Blackpool UK,y,y,11
Wilde Beast Canada's Wonderland ON,y,n,12
Gwazi-Tiger Busch Gardens-Tampa FL,y,n,13
Gwazi-Lion Busch Gardens-Tampa FL,y,n,14
Mean Streak Cedar Point OH,y,n,15
Le Monstre La Ronde QU,y,n,16
M.Can.Mine Buster Canada's Wonderland ON,y,n,17
Tomahawk Port Aventura ES,y,n,18
Ghoster Coaster Canada's Wonderland ON,y,n,19
Zipper Dipper Blackpool UK,y,y,20

Again, seriously lack any of the massive, mainstream woodies you hear about constantly. I love woodies as a whole, but none I've been on really stand out for me. Maybe Megaphobia, but it does get a lot of hype.

I loved the old Big Dipper at Geauga lake though, big shame about that one.

 

[Hyde]

^ I'm surprised that GL's Big Dipper ranks so highly on your rankings. It was a fun coaster, but I do prefer other out-and-back coasters (like Blue Streak) over Big Dipper.

 

[Jodabomb24]

Definitely the two best wooden ones I've ridden are El Toro and Le Monstre. I can't believe nobody's mentioned Le Monstre yet! Is La Ronde just not as popular as others? Le Monstre is simply amazing, and although not quite on par with El Toro, definitely worth a trip.