Roller Coasters = Eye Candy?

[ava1enzue1a]

I know we all like to ride them, but do you find them fascinating to look at? Or do you just like riding them?

I absolutely love looking at them, especially watching the trains as they travel the layouts. I could do that all day too, just as I can with riding them

Hbu?

 

[bmac]

Depends on the roller coaster's location. If there isn't much clearance for viewing and you only have like one or two perspectives of the ride then no I don't like gawking at it, but if there's multiple areas to watch and take pictures (think like Dominator, Colossus @ Thorpe, Griffon and possibly the new Gatekeeper) then hell yeah I can gawk at that ride for just as long as I can ride it.

 

[madhjsp]

I love, love, love watching coasters. They've always fascinated me, even when I was kind of scared to ride them. The way a nice smooth B&M just flows around the track is beautiful to me. Then there are rides like Dragster which you just have to marvel at (TTD also gets a watchability boost because of peoples' reactions to the launch).

I305 is probably one of the most watchable coasters I can think of. Regardless of how you feel about the actual ride experience, you gotta admit that the way that long train smoothly flies through those ground-hugging turns is pretty damn cool.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8E7pEowuf8[/youtube]

 

[JJLehto]

Absolutely.

Even crap ones! Corkscrew at CP rumbling over the path, or Anaconda with all it's twisted glory over the water. Beautiful.

I actually find the aesthetics part of the appeal. They just look so cool, gives me a sense of nostalgia, childlike aw.
Maybe I'm just silly

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

100% yes! Watching them is brilliant.

 

[Hixee]

Long before I had the balls to ride big coasters, I would always be more than happy to watch them. I think they look great!

Yeah... that's all I have to add... :?

 

[CookieCoasters]

I especially love watching katun as it looks so marvellous and so dominant in mirabilandia as its massive elements stretch across the park. I also like watching rides like EGF, Goliath at Walibi and Colossos at heide just because you can almost feel the airtime.

 

[Jer]

I love to watch them, all the time, I find them incredibly photogenic, and fascinating.

 

[andrus]

I especially love watching katun as it looks so marvellous and so dominant in mirabilandia as its massive elements stretch across the park.

Katun is my favourite for visuals as well :--D Such a beautiful coaster, graceful and intimidating at the same time!

 

[Hyde]

Of course.

I grew up with Corkscrew, Raptor, and Mantis being favorites to watch.

 

[Serena]

Yep, I'm with you on this one too. A long queue time can pass quickly when it gives you great views of the coaster you're about to ride.
I particularly like watching how different size trains take the elements of their track, such as the way beefy B+M trains tear around a corner, compared to the swooshy-glide of an Intamin, or the way Eurofighter carts 'hop' over their drops.

I also like to listen to the sounds of coasters too. Creaky lift-hills, B+M roars, Cheetah Hunts launch that sounds like Sonic the Hedgehog when he's charging up to run at hyper-speed... to name a few

 

[FaceYourNemesis]

I love standing and admiring coasters. Rides like Nemesis and Raptor at Gardaland demand aesthetic appreciation.

To quote John Wardley:

My philosophy is that you should allow people to enjoy the ride even if they have not got the guts or the will to ride it.

Says it all.

 

[kimahri]

B&M Roar <3.

Ear candy :3

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Yep, they're great to watch. I think I preferred watching them more when I was too scared to ride them, because I thought the people who had the guts to go on them were insane. I remember once back in the day when Possessed was at Geauga Lake, I sat and watched it for two hours without getting bored while my cousin queues for it. I thought the launch was pretty cool to watch.

But yeah, you have to marvel at them really. They're great pieces of engineering and the culmination of a LOT of work!

 

[Nick P]

Some rides are very eye catching due to their sheer size. TTD and MF dwarf everything around them, making them hard to keep your eyes off them. I'm always the one falling behind in a group because I'm stuck watching a ride fly by.

 

[ava1enzue1a]

I305 is probably one of the most watchable coasters I can think of. Regardless of how you feel about the actual ride experience, you gotta admit that the way that long train smoothly flies through those ground-hugging turns is pretty damn cool.

Yes, it is.

A long queue time can pass quickly when it gives you great views of the coaster you're about to ride.

True!

I particularly like watching how different size trains take the elements of their track, such as the way beefy B+M trains tear around a corner, compared to the swooshy-glide of an Intamin

Haha, I know what you mean!

Some rides are very eye catching due to their sheer size. TTD and MF dwarf everything around them, making them hard to keep your eyes off them. I'm always the one falling behind in a group because I'm stuck watching a ride fly by.

I second everything there.

 

[michaellll]

Living here in Florida I've grown my coaster enthusiasm with the likes of Hulk and Dueling Dragons (yes, I know. Dragon Challenge).

Both very visually appealing large scale rides, and that has ingrained in me a real appreciation for the design of coasters and their implementation into a park's environment.

I'm pretty sure half my opinion on the coasters I ride is determined solely by how appealing it looks and how well it fits into the area.

Thunderhead is a beaut. Though much of the track work is hidden.

Kumba anyone? I absolutely love how close you can get to a roaring early 90's B&M. The paths interact just like they should. Very well designed area and has aged well. Still my favorite place to be in the park to this day.

This

And because I have to include an Intamin <3

 

[dominoes]

Love it. I still love arriving at Thorpe Park with my friends, and pointing out which one is which as we drive through the car park. Also I love pointing out when the rides are going. It's a lovely experience. :--D

 

[Xpress]

They're fascinating. So many mechanical complexities in a perfect collision of events to allow such things to occur. It's literal visual eye candy, keeps your eyes moving in awestruck wonder.

 

[IntaminToWin]

I think Fahrenheit is great to watch, because you can see the whole thing. Mystery Mine is cool too, because of that incredibly slow final inversion. I happen to like watching Intamin Impulse coasters, because it looks entirely impossible that the track can sway that much and have so little support.