Your Easiest/Hardest Time Ranking a Coaster

[Jarrett]

We all like to keep our top tens and goony Excell spreadsheets and the like to keep track of the coasters we do/don't enjoy, but deciding where to stack them up against other coasters can be either a breeze or a doozy sometimes. What are some coasters you were able to rank into their spots right away verses rides that absolutely tore you up inside trying to compare to other coasters?

A few of the #NE2k16 credits were what made me decide to make this topic so I'll hold off on my personal experiences until the TR is done and there are no spoilers, but post away!

 

[Pink Cadillac]

I don't have a fixed list. I just make one up whenever I need to and have always found it easy because I don't think about it too much. The majority of it is interchangeable anyway.

 

[Edward M]

I really don't have much trouble ranking coasters. I don't have an excel spreadsheet; I just have a note in my notes app with all my coasters. After I ride a coaster and am in line for the next one, I just pull out my phone and rank it. It usually falls in the perfect place where I liked it more than this but not as much as this.

There are still times when I'm unsure of where to place coasters though. This is more common with Disney and Universal coasters where my love of theming and storytelling interferes with my love for amazing thrills. It is hard to put a coaster like Gringotts that only goes about 20 mph next to TTD at 120 mph.

 

[GuyWithAStick]

Easiest: Probably Outlaw Run. It was the first new/major/good coaster I rode since I became an enthusiast(aside from X-Flight, the coaster that sparked my enthusiasm). All I had really ridden was Disney stuff, SFGAm, and traveling Dragon Wagons. It became my Number 1 immediately, but didn't last a week before Goliath overtook it. It wasn't until recently when I began to rank the other SFGAm coasters(although it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway).

Hardest: Either Monster at Adventureland or X-Flight at SFGAm. With Monster, I had such a fun time on it. There wasn't any airtime, the inversions were taken kinda slow, the pacing wasn't too consistent, and there was an extremely noticeable trim. But those last 3 things all help the greatest thing about it(aside from the lights)- the insane hangtime. The Stengel Dive especially, it was nuts. I say it's hard to rank it was because throughout the night, I couldn't decide if it broke my top 10 or not. In the end, I said it didn't but it's most definitely a top 20, even a top 15 coaster.

For X-Flight, I keep struggling in that I can't decide if I like it or Raging Bull more. Some days X-Flight runs great, sometimes Raging Bull is running better. RB has one of the best first drops anywhere, and has some really unexpected pops of floater. X-Flight just flows very nicely, is very intense for a wing coaster, and has the best non-IP based theming for a coaster in the park. It was just a few days ago where I decided I liked X-Flight better for the time being. But who knows, they can change places in an instant.

 

[Bat Fastard]

Easiest- Every RMC I've been on, apart from Storm Chaser has been my number 1 at some point. First was New Texas Giant, which is when I first became an enthusiast. Then came Goliath, which lasted a good 2 years before I rode my current #1, Outlaw Run. All of them absolutely blew me away the first time I rode them, and rerides all secured them my #1 spot at the time.

Hardest- Except for Outlaw Run, most of my top 10 could honestly be interchangable. Kings Island's top 3 are especially difficult. They are all so close together, it really tore me apart to pick which one I like the best. They are all within 4 spots of each other so it is extremely close. Also, I'm still torn between Maverick and Goliath for my #2 spot. Right now, it's Goliath but man it's hard. I could change my mind any day, being completely honest. Also, ranking Cedar Point's Beemers is extremely tough. Rougarou is definitely my least favorite, but between the other 3 it's extremely tough and like Kings Island's top 3, it could fluctuate. Raptor is probably my favorite though but man it's hard. Also, I can't make up my mind on whether I like X-Flight or Gatekeeper more.

 

[Sandman]

I don't have a fixed list. I just make one up whenever I need to and have always found it easy because I don't think about it too much. The majority of it is interchangeable anyway.

+1


I keep mine fairly loose for the same reasons as above. I can remember in detail things I love about coasters, but to be honest I try not to focus on negative points unless they are very obvious otherwise I'd end up pretty jaded and negative about something I love (riding coasters). I don't want to be too intricate in the rating process and end up loving only 1 or 2 manufacturers and despising the others. CERTAIN other forums are full of elitist enthusiasts who spend more time ironing out their top 10 and critiscising rides than actually going out and enjoying them.

 

[tomahawk]

Maverick was easily the easiest as it shot so fast to number one, it was no doubt.

NTG was difficult as I struggled to justify it being number one over X2. In reality, my top 5 are really just interchangeable and based on my mood it changes.

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[Olaf]

Hmm.. Lost Gravity vs Goliath (wab holland) was quite hard.. Same goes for Silverstar vs Blue Fire..

And not to forget is the 2017 season, Piraten vs Helix vs Wildfire vs Taron

Verstuurd vanaf mijn GT-I9301I met Tapatalk

 

[DelPiero]

Skyrush was the easiest decision ever, considering it was competing with UK coasters.
Boulder Dash is one of the tougher ones, as it's great, but I didn't have the best evening on it. Helix also shook me a lot as the night ride was so fab it challenged Skyrush for the top spot and it had been a long day, took ages to place it.

I also struggle with anything past top 30, but they hardly matter now the hawker poll seems to have died.

 

[ukthemeparkfan]

my easiest time to rank a coaster nemesis and then my hardest was after I rode swarm

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Easiest was Voyage when it was my number one. It absolutely blew my mind, I just wish it didn't fall so far in my rankings after this year

I'm struggling with SFGAM Goliath. It's spectacular but I don't know if I want it in my top ten over Fury anymore!

 

[silenthillXD]

Easiest was definitely Hero at Flamingoland, my first Volare. Straight to the bottom of my rankings. Somehow even worse than those kiddie coasters I have shamlessly ridden. :lol:

Pretty much everything serious I find hard to rank. For example, Nash and Megafobia are fighting for first and second place and there's not much between the two of them. Like wise, Swarm and Stealth battle it out for 3rd and 4th, and they both tend to switch around. Nemesis and Smiler are two other ones that swap drastically. Nemesis is fab, we all know it. But sometimes it can give relatively dull rides. I find the only way you're guaranteed an outstanding experience is front left. Wereas Smiler, god knows what ritual you have to conduct to get that thing to run smoothly. When it's smooth, it's a genuinely enjoyable ride, but at its worst it's unpleasant to say the least.

 

[caffeine_demon]

The first 7 in my list pretty much place themselves.
Skyrush - non stop air!
Wicked Cyclone - packs in a lot into it's small layout and does it all pretty damned well
Bizarro (SFNE) - dropped a couple of places cos one train is no where near as good as the other - again just great airtime!
Colossos - just such good fun!
Sliver Star - great wherever you sit on the train, and even watching the despatches is cool!
Roar-O-Saurus - for a kids ride it's great!
Nemesis - just the right amount of intensity and great theming

after that - I can probably think of about a dozen coasters that would be worthy of the final 3 in my top ten, and maybe 20 odd extra going for the 11-20 spots

Bottom 4 or five are quite easy too (flying fish, space coaster at mnds (and other similar models), can't thionk of the others ATM)

 

[Smithy]

Easiest 'big' coaster to rank was that piece of **** woodie out at Terra Mitica in Benidorm.

Toughest to rank in terms of absolute top would be choosing between Helix and Balder after two consecutive days of riding in various conditions. Had the better ultimate ride on Helix but Balder was just more consistent over my time there so it pips it.

Overall I consistently find it hard to place the likes of Velocity, Jubilee Odyssey and Rage because I really enjoyed all of them but would never really go out of my way to ride them the way I would other rides in my count.

 

[Hyde]

I'm able to pretty well slot roller coasters in order. Two instances:

Easiest ranking - Maverick as #1 in 2007. That was a very easy ranking as it was by far the greatest roller coaster I had ridden up until that point.

Toughest ranking - Skyrush as #4 in 2012. When only considering the layout and ride experience, Skyrush is an easy slam dunk as a number one roller coaster. However, as has been discussed ad nauseum, the lap bars on the ride excruciating staple. Bearing this in mind, I knew it would be splitting hairs for my top rankings as all are beloved rides; I found ranking as #4 put Skyrush in the neighborhood of my top three favorite steel coasters, but provided for the discount of uncomfortable ride that remains a thorn in Skyrush's side.

 

[Bedholm]

Separating my top 3 overall in Voyage, El Toro, and Lightning rod all are so good, but all have flaws and things that make them special.