Roller Coasters to Thrill Your Summer

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Summer’s here which means theme parks are open for business. Some of you are coaster junkies like myself and enjoy the rushing sensation of the wind in your hair while screaming for your life.  Others simply enjoy watching coasters speed through the air which is an art in itself. The fluidity of the track, the unexpected drops, it’s a feast for all the senses.

Here are the top coasters of the summer:

5.  Cu’ Chulainn – Tayto Park, Ireland

So you are a plain Jane/Joe type of rider, looking for something with thrill, but nothing too extreme. Look no further than this wooden beast of a coaster situated in Ireland.  Cu’ Chulainn is actually the name of a medieval Irish warrior who defended the province of Ulster against an incredulous army and bore wondrous strength. Needless to say, he was not to be trifled with combat and this coaster is not meant to be trifled with either. Boasting the title of Europe’s largest coaster with an inversion, this ride will have you holding on as you tear through the tracks like a powerful hero.

4.  Black Mamba – Phantasialand, Germany

So you’re looking for a hanging coaster with tight turns and smooth drops? Black Mamba has just what you need. Black Mamba is an inverted steel coaster named after a lethal, ebony snake that shares the same name.  Power packed with 4Gs, this ride will have you nearly missing walls, giving you the notion that you just may not survive this ride. With a wild, African flare this roller coaster will spiral you into the jungle searching for a means of escape.

3. Takashiba – Fuji-Q Highland, Japan

A recent holder of the world record of the world’s steepest coaster, this ride puts the thrill in ‘Thriller’. Bearing a drop angle of 121 degrees and standing at a staggering 141 feet, this coaster doesn’t mess around. Even its name translates to “high fly car” in kanji and “domineering”  in English. Packed with inversions and loops, this coaster will take you on the ride of your life.

2. Goliath – Six Flags Great America, Illinois

Smashing three of the world’s records for steepest, fastest, and tallest roller coaster, Goliath is a monster to behold. Towering at 165 feet, this beast tears through steel tracks and surrounds you in tight loops. At one point it even has that audacity to slowly stop you in mid air, only to pick up the pace more powerful than before.

1.  Batman: The Ride – Six Flags Fiesta, Texas

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “The only thing we should fear is fear itself.” This coaster is the definition of fear. Strapping into a car on this monstrous B roll formation coaster, this ride will have you rolling with no end in sight. Just when you think you’ve stopped flipping and rising, you couldn’t be more wrong. This roller coaster is so intense that even watching footage of it makes me stop the video in fear of losing my lunch.

Thanks for reading today’s entry. If you liked it, feel free to share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what is your favorite roller coaster?

It Runs in the Family

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make. I am a coaster junkie aka a lover of thrill rides, namely roller coasters.

When I was a child, my father introduced me to my first roller coaster which was basically a knock off version of Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain. We were staying at a hotel in Wildwood, New Jersey for the weekend when he took me aboard the attraction. The wheels clicked in perfect time as they carried us past cowboys having shoot outs, a mine filled with shady prospects, and donkeys roaming about. As we reached the top the car took us around a corner, before dropping us into an exploding mine. A week later I went back with my friends only to find that the coaster had been taken down for unknown reasons.

As I grew up, I began to tackle more challenging coasters, including the famous King da Ka. King da Ka holds the record for the world’s tallest coaster and is situated in Six Flags Jacksonville, New Jersey. It’s powered by a hydraulic system that launches riders up a top hat tower of 456 feet.  If the hydraulic system fails to propel the riders forward or crest them over the top of the tower, they come falling back down.

Sounds insane, right?

Let me explain to you how much crazier this ride became.

King da Ka looks something like this:

nj.com

It’s a lean, green thrill machine waiting to hear you scream.  Now look in particular at its support structure holding the main tower up. You will notice that yes, in that extremely important frame, there is another ride.

This new attraction is entitled Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom and drops you 415 feet . This attraction will claim the title for being the world’s fastest and tallest drop ride. There are three drop towers that riders board and ascend, while hearing the shrieks of King da Ka literally over their heads.

Basically, we’re dealing with ride-ception to the extreme and since Father’s Day happens to be this Sunday, I’d like to thank my dad for introducing me to something I love. He’s been keeping up with the crazy coasters I go on, watching me board them, and praying that none of them malfunction during my ride.

So, are you a coaster junkie? What’s your favorite attraction and what influenced into being a thrill seeker?