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Extreme thrills on America's most intense roller coasters
Based on my experiences and the general opinions and buzz from other roller coaster enthusiasts, here's a list of what I consider to be America's most intense roller coasters.
The Voyage at Holiday World
Holiday World's The Voyage is one of the largest and fastest wooden roller coasters in the World. The out and back terrain coaster provides an intense 2 minute and 45 second marathon of thrills. After leaving the station, The Voyage delivers an onslaught of large hills, five underground tunnels, three ridiculously banked 90-degree turns, and a record-setting 24 seconds of air time as riders are lifted out of their seats throughout the adventure. Each time I got off of The Voyage I was physically exhausted, but also excited to get back in line and take the trip again. The Voyage is a rare wooden roller coaster in that it's intense and a tad rough, but still fun and completely re-rideable.
X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain's X2 has an insane riding position. It places riders on either side of the track instead of on top or below it. In turn, exposing riders and giving them virtually no place to hide. Not only is the seating position off-putting and intimidating, but the seats rotate riders 360-degrees forward and backward. If that wasn't enough, the ride's opening dive sends you plummeting head first towards the ground. X2 was so intense that it made the middle-aged mom that I rode with see her life pass before her eyes.
Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure and Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point
Six Flags Great Adventure's Kingda Ka and Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster are two very similar roller coasters that boast staggering stats. At over 40 stories tall, they're literally skyscrapers earning them the rare distinction of strata coasters. While the climb to that lofty altitude and subsequent plunge are both very memorable moments, the rides' launches are a 10 out of 10 on the intensity scale. Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster accelerate their passengers from 0 to speeds of 128 mph and 120 mph respectively in about four seconds. Overall, I wouldn't call them the best all-around roller coasters, but the feeling of that sheer power and acceleration is something that has to be experienced. As my cheeks flapped in the wind I wondered, "How much faster can this thing go?"
Clearly there are other intense roller coasters, but for me these are the most extreme. Which roller coasters would you consider the most intense? [Photo Credit: Flickr user - Intamin 10]
Filed under: North America, United States, Theme Parks
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paula Werne, Holiday World Jun 24th 2011 10:16AM
Thanks for the nod to The Voyage -- now in its sixth season. Here's a link to on-ride video and more photos, plus all those delicious stats: http://www.holidayworld.com/rides/voyage