Why do you love roller coasters?

[TheSDCoasterRaptor]

I'm genuinely curious if roller coasters were just the third member of the racecar/dinosaur-phase that we all went through, or, if there's a more specific reason for why we all love roller coasters.

For me, I think it started when my older sister would take me down to Belmont Park in San Diego to ride the Big Dipper woodie. The ride is rough, and widely regarded by enthusiasts to be the worst wooden coaster on the west coast. Nonetheless, I love it to bits.
While I love pure thrill, I still appreciate gentler rides that I can geek out about and enjoy with my less adventurous family members.

I became a coaster enthusiast for the thrills, but I stayed because of the people I get to ride the rides with.

 

[AlexanderSmith]

I think a lot of it is nostalgia, for sure. Like you, my home park growing up had a rickety old woodie (still running!), and riding it now is a very different experience than it was when I was 10. There's just something about the atmosphere of an amusement park that brings you back.

But for me, it's the community aspect that really keeps me coming back. Planning trips, meeting up with friends, sharing the experience with people who "get it" - it's just as much about the shared experience as it is the rides themselves. Plus geeking out over new tech and ride designs never gets old!

 

[Flash Shift]

I like going fast and doing acrobatic manouvers, and really a good rollercoaster makes me feel alive. Plus all the different details, variants, inversions, elements, etc. fulfills a certain nerdy niche of collecting useless facts.

 

[owenstreet7]

For me, it's the thrill and excitement of riding a rollercoaster or riding a thrilling flat ride - for a moment, it feels like I'm lost in a adventure or a battle.

Airtime is an element I've experienced more of lately after riding the likes of Taron, Voltron, Hyperia and Wodan and that is something I absolutely love on a coaster.

Personally, I absolutely adore riding Flume rides and those type of rides, I can easily lap a few times. For me, it's been the nostalgia, the thrill on the splashdown and a relaxing experience otherwise. It's a fun experience in comparison to a thrilling experience on a rollercoaster.

My experience with Rapids is mixed as it's variable with how wet you can get. The best experience I've had with a Rapids is River Quest however this offers the best of both worlds of a Flume and Rapids plus a whirlpool.

I feel that an experience on a flume is complementary to an experience on a coaster and I feel that something is missing if a park doesn't have a flume (or a Shoot the chute) such as Alton Towers.

 

[Graeme]

There was a Channel 4 documentary about coasters, way back around 1990 if I recall correctly, that featured Cedar Point heavily. There was a woman riding Magnum who said something akin to "It's like dancing for people who can't dance". That's always stayed with me.

However, I've always thought they are super hero simulators. For a few minutes you're soaring around, flying and making giant leaps. It's the acrobatics for me, and the sensation of floating. I don't really identify with the ones that are based more on fear and have a lot of hangtime or feel like they're trying to throw you out.

Then there's something like Big Thunder Mountain or Chessington's Vampire, which are more like a journey or adventure. I'm also a fan of large wooden coasters (as long as they're smooth). There's something I can't quite explain about riding through one - almost like you're travelling around some sort of structure you couldn't normally access.

It's also satisfying to analyse the layouts, and why some work better than others. One thing's for sure - it's about way more than a simple thrill.