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Mega Poster
Welcome to another "rank the x" thread! This time with CCI woodies. I'll start.

1. GhostRider - Knott's Berry Farm
2. Cornball Express - Indiana Beach
3. Raven - Holiday World
4. Hoosier Hurricane - Indiana Beach
5. Legend - Holiday World
6. Boss - Six Flags St. Louis
7. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain - Indiana Beach
8. Great White - Morey's Piers
9. Sky Princess - Dutch Wonderland
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
  1. Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce
  2. Rampage - Alabama Adventure
  3. GhostRider - Knott's
  4. Raven - Holiday World
  5. Boss - Six Flags St. Louis
  6. Legend - Holiday World
  7. Cannonball Run - Waterville USA (RIP :()
  8. Tomahawk - Port Aventura
  9. Stampida - Port Aventura
 

Peet

Giga Poster
1) Tonnerre de Zeus
2) Megafobia
3) Stampida
4) Tomahawk

The top 3 are all great rides, if a little bumpy. Tomahawk is a decent kiddie cred.
 

CanobieFan

Strata Poster
Excalibur was always one of the forgotten CCI's <3 it starts really strong but the helix 8 at the end always loose steam and kinda lags to the finish. Was my first CCI, the year it opened and also the first woodie I ever rode opening year. Ah, nostalgia.

CCI (with B&M) were for sure my favorite designer in the 90's everything they did I wanted to go out and ride. Still daydreaming of Tonnerre de Zeus although it may not ever happen if new rumors are true.

Boulder Dash (uh, and overall favorite coaster <3)
Silver Comet
Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain (Don't @ me?)
Cornball Express
Cyclops (pre-drop re-profiling)
Legend
Excalibur
Timber Terror
New Mexico Rattler
GhostRider
Shivering Timbers
Megafobia
Outlaw
Tremors
Cheetah
Hurricane
Twisted Twins
Hoosier Hurricane
Great White
Tomahawk
Kingdom Coaster
Stampida (I blame the terrible trains....)
Cannonball Run
Underground
Boss
Raven
Zeus
Zach's Zoomer
Pegasus
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
I've done 18 - let's see...

Can't be arsed to rank them all, but I'll sort them into a few groups. Sorted alphabetically in each section though.

Top Tier
Boulder Dash, Lake Compounce
Cornball Express, Indiana Beach
Shivering Timbers, Michigan's Adventure

Middle Tier
Boss, Six Flags St. Louis
Ghostrider, Knotts Berry Farm
Legend, Holiday World
Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain, Indiana Beach
Megafobia, Oakwood Theme Park
Raven, Holiday World
Tonnerre du Zeus, Parc Astérix

Bottom Tier
Cyclops, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
Hoosier Hurricane, Indiana Beach
Pegasus, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
Stampida (Blue), PortAventura Park
Stampida (Red), PortAventura Park
Tomahawk, PortAventura Park
Zach's Zoomer, Michigan's Adventure
Zeus, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
 

Matt N

CF Legend
Ooh, great thread idea! I've only done one so far;
  1. Megafobia - Even though it doesn't quite stack up with some of the newer woodies in my rankings these days, Megafobia is still a great ride! There's some great airtime and the ride feels quite fast in places, although I'd say that it peters out somewhat towards the end in comparison to something like Wicker Man or Mine Blower. Controversially, I'd actually say that the front row is my favourite row to ride in because while the back had lots of very strong ejector, it was a tad too rough to enjoy and I felt that the front had more of a sustained airtime sensation. (In my overall rankings, Megafobia presently sits in the #12 spot out of the 67 coasters I've ridden)
If I was to ride them all, however, I'm guessing that I'd probably like Boulder Dash most!
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
These threads are funny, as they really make you put a critical eye to specific coaster manufacturers/segments, and you spot interesting trend/bias to your rankings you didn't previous see.

Here is my current rundown on CCI, with both overall CCI ranking and respective ranking vs. the rest of my coaster list:
Overal RankRelative RankCoasterPark
153Shivering TimbersMichigan’s Adventure
254RavenHoliday World
360GhostriderKnott’s Berry Farm
465LegendHoliday World
5119BossSix Flags St. Louis
6183The VillainGeauga Lake
7184Zach's ZoomerMichigan’s Adventure

A couple things that jumped out to me:
  • In general, my CCI rankings are very tightly group in the upper third of my coaster rankings (discounting Villain as the POS it always was). I do tend to cluster similar coaster types and park collections together (which I've always attributed to recency bias, and basing a coaster experience off of most recent rides taken vs. bumping a more dated coaster experience) - but wouldn't have thought the grouping is as relatively tight as it is!
  • I would have sworn Ghostrider was my top-rated CCI, especially after getting to experience the GCI retrack. So may give that a deeper thought. That being said, Shivering Timbers is a superb CCI experience (almost a perfect homage to the wooden coaster for being an out-and-back turned up to 11), and I've always enjoyed Ravens aggressive, if not short, layout and experience. So yeah, lump the top three-o-them together.
  • Seeing Boss ranked where it is makes me sad. I want to like it, I really do. And appreciate how well received it was the year it opened. But in an age of retracking and RMC (and having experienced the night and day retrack of Ghostrider), I can't help but think this is a prime candidate for deeper TLC (or Iron Horse), which would pay huge dividends.
 

HeartlineCoaster

Theme Park Superhero
I need to up my CCI game. 0.54% of the count?

1. GhostRider - The clear winner. Everything I love in a woodie.
2. Stampida - Bags of fun as both a spectacle and a ride. Never disappointed.
3. Tonnere de Zeus - It amused me, it was alright.
4. Megafobia - Never caught it on a good day, so they say. Always disappointed.
5. Tomahawk - Cute.
 

Antinos

Slut for Spinners
I could have SWORN we had a topic for one of the most popular coaster manufacturers of the 90s, but the search function turned up nil. CCI woodies became quite common at parks over time with some rides being regarded as top tier coasters and others ultimately yielding utter crap. Many still stand while others have recently been converted into RMC monsters, and some have even met a sad fate and have been removed. And because WHO DOESN'T LOVE A GOOD LIST THREAD, obviously, how do you rank the ones you've been on?!


  1. Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce - Truly a special ride with essentially nothing else to compare to. It's almost completely enshrouded in trees on the side of the hill throughout its lengthy layout.
  2. Medusa - Six Flags Mexico - The original Medusa was so darn good in its own right prior to its conversion due to its placement in a ravine and its unique layout. I can only imagine how good Medusa Steel Coaster is.
  3. Tonerre de Zeus - Parc Asterix - I rode this over a decade ago so its high ranking may come as a surprise, but back then it was smooth as glass and provided a long, airtime filled ride from start to finish.
  4. Excalibur - Funtown Splashtown - Another ride that used its length, speed, and airtime to bolster the ride's strength. It's a hidden gem up in Maine.
  5. Tremors - Silverwood Theme Park - I was a bit surprised that this isn't higher in my own list considering how I showered it in praise last week. It's excellent, but it's not quite as long as those above, it's slightly rougher, and it does have one or two slow spots. Granted, if I rode it a decade ago instead of now, I'd probably remember it even more fondly and rank it higher.
  6. Cornball Express - Indiana Beach - It's the surprise at the Beach. How'd they manage so much airtime in such a bizarre layout.
  7. Raven - Holiday World - If it was 500 feet longer, it'd be in the top three of this list. It has the same formula as those at the top, but it's just too short.
  8. Timber Terror - Silverwood Theme Park - Very good airtime but a fairly standard, short layout.
  9. Legend - Holiday World - I'm in the minority when it comes to Legend, but the ride is significantly better after GCI got its hands on it.
  10. Shivering Timbers - Michigan's Adventure - I still enjoy its hilly, mile long layout, but it's still a comparatively average ride.
  11. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain - Indiana Beach - Locosumo is the quirkiest of the list and it plays this strength well.
  12. Silver Comet - Fantasy Island - Another ride with which I'm apparently in the minority. It has its shining moments but the middle section is kind of dull.
  13. Cyclops - Mt. Olympus - All that needs to be known about this ride is that the final drop off the side of the hill is incredible.
  14. Boss - Six Flags St. Louis - I guess it's better now? I thought it was alright a decade ago.
  15. Zeus - Mt. Olympus - It exists.
  16. Hoosier Hurricane - Indiana Beach - It also exists.
  17. GhostRider - Knott's Berry Farm - Yet another minority opinion, granted I didn't get to ride it post GCI rework. I recall an incredibly rough ride with zero airtime and awful laterals. Sounds like how everybody describes Legend...maybe they're getting their rides mixed up?
  18. Pegasus - Mt. Olympus - It really wasn't bad at all, but it is the park's kids coaster so it's incredibly tame.
  19. Zach's Zoomer - Michigan's Adventure - See above. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just gauged for the young thrill seekers.
  20. Villain - Geauga Lake - It got the fate it deserved.
 

CanobieFan

Strata Poster
List threads are life...and so are CCI woodies <3

1 Boulder Dash - My #1, out of some 1,040 coasters I've ridden <3
2 Cornball Express - It's been 15 years.... But I'd love to reride it. Was in my top 5 wood for a long while.
3 Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain - absolutely LOVE this awful coaster.
4 Silver Comet - Still top 1- worthy <3
5 Timber Terror - Went to Silverwood expecting to love Tremors but ended up falling for this.
6 Cyclops - Legendary CCI airtime... well, until it was re-profiled. Still gonna give it the legendary status even if its been highly tamed.
7 Legend - So, so much better than Raven. <3
8 New Mexico Rattler - pretty awesome ride stuck in a park with somewhat meh operations and waayyyy to hot. #ripCCI
9 Excalibur - My first CCI and my first 'modern' woodie. Rode it the year it opened without even knowing it was at the park <3
10 GhostRider - Done it with both the PTC and GCI trains. Maybe over-hyped but its not a bad ride either.
11 Tremors - loved it but one train op's suxxx.
12 Cheetah - Even with G-Trains, I love this ride, Wild Adventures is my nearest non-home park and I try and visit at least once a year
13 Shivering Timbers - More I rode it, the less I liked it :|
14 Kingdom Coaster - Awesome midsized/family woodie
15 Megafobia - Kinda forgettable? Wasn't bad but it didn't live up to the hype either
16 Twisted Twins - Meh?
17 Great White - Kinda meh, it looks nice and its run smooth but it doesn't really do much for me.
18 Hurricane - Was on the last public train, ever. Got evac'd off the lifthill too.
19 Outlaw - the GCI CCI!
20 Tomahawk - EHh?
21 Cannonball Run - Meh but not bad, just not very good either. Oddly enough I made two visits to Waterville...yet I still haven't made it to the other CCI in Alabama.
22 Hoosier Hurricane - Meh
23 Underground - questionable credit
24 Zach's Zoomer - Is what it is
25 Stampida - Gross, and the *worst* trains, ever.
26 Pegasus - Gross
27 Boss - Meh, haven't done it since the helix removal (the worst part of the ride) but at least the ride *looks* beautiful
28 Zeus - Garbage
29 Raven - Dont @ me
 

Smithy

Strata Poster
Tomahawk - Love this little gem
Stampida - It's just too painful to enjoy more than the once.
Megafobia - Meh. I've only had the one ride on it and it was pants.
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Go on then. As I normally do, I'll group these into brackets, I can't really be specific enough to order them any more than that! :p

Great
Boulder Dash
- The one and only. My #1 for many, many years, and still firmly in my top ten. Love it.
Cornball Express - I love the setting of this, and the crazy front-row ejector.
Ghostrider - I remember really enjoying this too, a really solid coaster.
Shivering Timbers - Half the reason it's up here is the aesthetics, I will admit, but I did enjoy it.
Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain - Just didn't feel right not to put this in the "Great" group...

Good
Boss
- The hidden drop is life, and it needs to be RMC'd. That said, I love how massive the damn thing is - truly the boss.
Megafobia - It was a lot of fun when I last rode it back in 2008 (my first CF Live, I'll have you know), but I don't recall anything particularly outstanding, even then.
Raven - This is a cutie.
Hoosier Hurricane - Love the location of this one, another ride that would be turd if it wasn't for it's setting. It has a good setting, therefore it's good.
Cyclops - Sure, for the R-rated drop alone. As in, that's all it has. Luckily, it's great.
Tomahawk - Another adorable, fun little coaster.

Forgettable
Pegasus
- Huh?
Zeus - See above.
Tonnerre du Zeus - Don't see the fuss (or rather, didn't, it was back in 2009).
Zach's Zoomer - Had to look this one up, so... yeah.

I don't really like
Legend
- Credit where it's due, it dodges the water rides pretty well, but I'm not a fan of the big helices. When I last rode in 2016 it was wonderful on the sections they'd retracked, and dog-****e on the sections they hadn't. Maybe it'll be better if the whole thing is done?
Stampida - Meh. I think they're a bit rubbish really. Rough, kinda slow, and not all that fun.
 

Matt N

CF Legend
I’ve only actually ridden one:
  1. Megafobia
However, I have to say I really do like it for a wooden coaster that’s not really that modern! The airtime is fantastic, and while I didn’t think it tracked as well as the newer wooden coasters by manufacturers like GCI and Gravity Group do, in my opinion, I still found it perfectly OK smoothness-wise (OK, the very back row was a bit too rough for my liking, but front & middle were both perfectly fine for me). One area where I did feel like it fell down slightly was pacing; Megafobia definitely has its moments towards the start of the ride, but it definitely runs out of steam somewhat towards the end, and I don’t think it has that overall rush that newer rides like Wicker Man & Mine Blower have in terms of pacing.

All that being said, however, I do definitely like Megafobia a lot, and it just about sneaks into my top 10!

If I was to ride the other CCI coasters in the world, I’d personally guess that I’d like either Boulder Dash, Shivering Timbers or GhostRider the most, although it’s hard to judge a ride from POVs, it must be said!
 

Hutch

Strata Poster
Guess my list isn't as big as I thought.

1. Boulder Dash - Pretty obvious this is king. It was my No. 1 for some time but it has fallen a bit after some lackluster rides. Hoping to get back on it this summer to see if it's any better.

2. Raven - Actually a pretty solid ride. It has another great setting (well nothing can beat Boulder Dash) and I love the turn over the lake. Pretty solid layout, and can see how this was considered one of the greater woodies back in its early days.

3. Excalibur - Surprisingly has a pretty good first drop in the back, but it's shame the rest of the ride doesn't do a whole lot. At least it has a decent length.

4. Legend - My first ride on this was bad but last year it was okay. Easily the roughest on this list, but it rides better in the front. The laterals aren't the best, but still kinda hilarious.
 

witchfinder

Hyper Poster
1. Timber Terror - much like @CanobieFan I went to Silverwood expecting Tremors to be the winner but ended up liking this more. Nice out and back layout with some decent airtime and a couple of nice headchoppers. Had an excellent night ride on it.
2. Tremors - should have been the better of the two based on layout and all the tunnels but it was bone-shakingly rough in places. Still a very fun ride though.
3. Tonnerre de Zeus - only had one ride, enjoyed it. A bit rough in places but not too bad, good layout and some nice airtime moments.
4. Megafobia - some good airtime again and the layout is OK, but it feels like it will probably shake itself to pieces if it goes much longer without maintenance.
5&6. Stampida - the racing element is fun and the first drop is great, but the trains are ****e. Seemed better when I rode it last December following some re-tracking. Red side better than Blue but there's not much in it and the layout is fairly unremarkable.
7. Tomahawk - fun little family woodie with a smidge of airtime if you sit at the back.

Interesting fact: I have ridden all the operating CCI coasters that begin with the letter 'T'. I never rode Twisted Twins but I have ridden Storm Chaser so it sort of counts!

While we're here, have a video of my night rides on the two Silverwood CCIs :)
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
  1. Boulder Dash - the only CCI I’ve ridden that I would consider a truly elite coaster, combines all the best elements of a good CCI like great airtime and laterals with what is probably the best terrain use I’ve seen on a coaster. Truly one of the all time great coasters
  2. Ghostrider - it was close between this and Rampage, but I do think that Ghostrider is likely a better ride. It benefits greatly from better trains, theming, and trackwork. If it weren’t as butter smooth as it was in 2017, I’m not sure I’d rank it this highly. However the whole package is very well rounded, with the second half being the standout section.
  3. Rampage - Rampage is an underrated gem in the middle of nowhere Alabama. It’s got great laterals with some nice moments of airtime. Does just about everything you’d want a wooden coaster of its size to do. It was also running fantastically when I rode it a few years ago, right after it was retracked.
  4. Raven - It may be short, but it packs a nice punch in the time it has. I rode on the last train of the night in October 2016, which elevated the experience immensely. I couldn’t see 2 cars ahead of me! (Obviously not as good as Voyage night rides but similarly disorienting)
  5. Boss - This ride is stupid. And I kinda love it for it. It’s absolutely massive, brutally rough, and probably too long. Yet, I found myself laughing on the brake run from the sheer insanity of it all. I mean, it features a giant first drop followed by ANOTHER drop.
  6. Legend - I don’t really like Legend. Laterals are a big part of a CCI, but they are rarely the highlight. This is a ride that’s all laterals. Sure, it’s big and long and was running relatively smoothly in 2016. But it had no airtime, which made the defensive riding needed (especially on that awful unbanked helix) feel not as worthwhile. Still, it’s dodging water slides which makes it better than the bottom three.
  7. Cannonball Run - I actually rode Cannonball Run more times than almost any other coaster, except maybe El Toro or Outlaw Run. It was near where my family would go to the beach each year, so a few rides on this each trip became something of a tradition for me. Still, as a coaster, it’s nothing to write home about. Had a few nice pops of airtime but not much more.
  8. Tomahawk - This coaster was more interesting for how it fit into its land than the ride experience itself. I almost like the concept of it more than the coaster, a smaller version of the bigger wooden coaster some kids may not be ready for, that also happens to be entangled in that bigger coaster.
  9. Stampida - Maybe I’d enjoy this more today since I’ve built a bit more of a tolerance for rough coasters, but I found basically nothing worthwhile here. Just constant jackhammering. I guess the dueling aspect was interesting. I mean, at least they actually dueled the two tracks (amazing how few dueling coasters manage that these days)
 

brokethemorning

Roller Poster
  1. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain - This is probably one of the weirdest coasters I've ever ridden. It's still surprisingly smooth after all these years, and riding backward provides many weird sensations and provides a very janky ride altogether.
  2. Boss - This ride does not deserve the RMC treatment. It's very solid for what it is, and it provides a great sense of speed and is rough without being aggressive about it.
  3. Cornball Express - The nostalgia behind this ride is why I love it so much. It's also got great airtime, I love the first drop, and I've always found it so intriguing how they managed to squeeze the ride into such a compact space.
  4. Raven - It's got a good layout and good pacing, but it didn't wow me otherwise.
  5. Hoosier Hurricane - The last time I rode this was in August 2019, and it was terrible. Super bumpy and rough compared to previous rides. I'll have to get back there and reride it because I know they retracked it this year. The only real upside I guess is the lakeside setting.
  6. Legend - The only reason I'm ranking this last is because I haven't ridden it in several years. I don't remember anything from it, so I can't speak for it.
 

HeartlineCoaster

Theme Park Superhero
I could have SWORN we had a topic for one of the most popular coaster manufacturers of the 90s, but the search function turned up nil.
I specifically remember doing one, so you're right:

Search function says CCI is too common, otherwise it could have been confused by the misplaced apostrophe in the original.

I should have gained a load last month, but nothing has changed since I last posted in there (unsurprisingly).
 
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