Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
As we enter the top three countries the overwhelming quantity of coasters starts to climb again. Part of what makes Germany so good is the amount of trips you can make out of their lineup. Coupled with their world beating ride operations and the almighty autobahn it’s a cred hunters paradise. Whilst I will still of course be considering unique and interesting draws, the sheer number here will largely lend itself to being a list of highlights and personal favourites.
#10 Speed Bob – Altmühlbob
Wiegand appear to have been having tremendous success in supplying their comparatively lightweight and easy to install systems to practically anywhere in the world that contains a hill. Alpine Coasters in particular are spreading at a rate of knots and leaving enthusiasts divided in their wake – are they creds or not? (yes they are) and how can we keep up? With Germany being home turf, the country has seen a lot of other interesting types of build from the company and this one is by far the most exciting to date. With no rider controls and an overly relaxed position, this airtime machine is unique, incredible and very German. Bucket list material for the weird and wonderful.
#9 Krake – Heide Park
As both my personal favourite in the park and one of the most pacy B&M Dive Coasters out there, I’ve opted for the Krake to represent Merlin’s contribution to the German coaster scene. The aesthetic of this ride, situated within the lovely centrepiece of Heide Park’s lake, is particularly strong with fantastic music, a great looking set piece to dive into and the satisfying splash effect for extra viewing pleasure. It may be short, but it packs an all important punch.
#8 Wodan – Europa Park
When it comes to GCIs in Europe you can’t do much better than this terrifically themed and amazingly aggressive wooden coaster. Once the soundtrack soars and the statues in the station turn to look you in the eye, you’ll know you’ve come to the right place.
#7 Dynamite – Freizeitpark Plohn
Whilst I still take issue with the park, I can’t deny how much I enjoyed Dynamite this year. The world needs more Mack big dippers for their crazy antics in exposed seating and right now Europe has the monopoly on them. Sadly the only one sold on native soil is at Plohn, so good luck. It’ll be fine.
#6 Star Trek: Operation Enterprise – Movie Park Germany
Sticking with Mack for now, they joined the fray for the recent spread of triple launch coasters with this installation at Movie Park Germany, giving them a fantastic signature attraction to decorate the entrance plaza. The queueline is highly themed and contains some preshow action, a somewhat loose storyline and the main highlight is the replica of the bridge from the Enterprise in the Next Generation series. If you’re a fan of the greatest era of the franchise, or coasters I guess as you’re reading this, not one to miss.
#5 Black Mamba– Phantasialand
Phantasialand was bound to come up at some point wasn’t it, but I won’t bore you again with my misgivings about the place. All that matters is that Black Mamba is one of my preferred B&M inverts, ridiculously well themed and full of force.
#4 Silver Star – Europa Park
I’m not one to get overly excited for B&M hypers these days but we don’t have much to choose from in this part of the world. Silver Star was my very first and it set the bar reasonably high. While the presentation is easy to mock (Europe has the odd ‘car park coaster’ too), the airtime in the back row of this ride cannot go without a mention.
#3 Expedition GeForce – Holiday Park
Nor can the legendary ‘best coaster in the world’ for a million years in a row. Though the pacing issues and lack of variety in the overall experience of GeForce mean it pales in comparison to the more recent generations of hardware, this ride still packs some of the best ejector airtime in the business and no enthusiast should feel complete without at least one marathon on this bad boy.
#2 Taron – Phantasialand
Time for a consecutive controversial placing in 2nd for these lists. The thing is that if you know much about Europe and this hobby then I probably don’t need to sell you any more on this park, or specifically this ride (they’ve also got that new one that I missed by a week… bah). Immersive theming, a killer soundtrack and the most exhilarating second launch in the world. Everyone wants Taron. But what does everyone need?
#1 Schwur des Kärnan – Hansa Park
Kärnan. That’s what. Terrifying, intense and completely one of a kind, this should be the singular attraction that tops the list for why you’d visit Germany for coasters. One of my most memorable experiences across the entirety of what I’ve seen and done in this hobby was created by this insane contraption and that was before they made it even better. This attraction keeps topping lists on here, I suppose I should write about it properly one day.
Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
Seemingly the underdog in my list of countries due to ranking so highly, but having much lower quantities than those that surround it – quality must be doing all the talking here. Let’s take a look at the most interesting and exciting offerings in the Netherlands.
#10 Troy – Toverland
Go on then, I’ll stick the critically acclaimed tallest, fastest, longest wooden coaster in the Benelux (what a claim…) on here. While I personally don’t rate it as anything particularly special in the GCI world, unless you’ve only done the UK’s meager offerings, everyone loves this thing and I’m sure you will do too.
#9 Vliegande Hollander
This isn’t here at all for the coaster aspect but for the incredible dark ride section that houses the first half of the experience. The music alone is worth travelling to hear in person and it’s just one of the most gorgeous attractions in a world class park.
#8 Goliath – Walibi Holland
Go on then, I’ll stick the once critically acclaimed tallest, longest, fastest steel coaster in the Benelux (not for long…) on here. I used to love this ride because it basically taught me what airtime was (thanks again to the UK’s meager offerings). Now it’s a bit dated in terms of ride experience, particularly as the park has grown around it, but Goliath is still a bit of a classic that deserves some love.
#7 Formule X – Drievliet
Maurer X-cars aren’t the most consistently rewarding ride type out there, but this little pocket rocket is full of fabulous sensations. You probably shouldn’t spend more than an hour at this park for coasters, and enjoying this will comprise 90% of the visit.
#6 Baron 1898 – Efteling
On hardware alone this ride wouldn’t stand out in a sea of middling dive coasters, but the theming is a significant cut above all other attractions of this type and as a dark ride fan I can’t let that major part of this experience (or the park) go under appreciated.
#5 Gold Rush – Attractiepark Slagharen
As one of a string of swing launch coasters that started cropping up over the last few years, this Gerstlauer Infinity replaced a stock Schwarzkopf model and helped put this park on the map for coaster enthusiasts. As with Formule X, this could easily end up being treated as a pop in and say hello to the coaster type affair, but with fun and forces all over the place it’s well worth the visit.
#4 Fēnix – Toverland
Toverland knocked it out of the park on this one. For an average park that didn’t impress me to suddenly buy a B&M and theme it to this scale, I was simply staggered at the result and couldn’t get enough of it. The queueline alone would be recommendation enough then of course there’s a huge surprise before the lift hill and, you know, the actual coaster is pretty decent too.
#3 Joris en der Draak – Efteling
My personal favourite woodies in Europe and kickstarter of my love affair with both GCIs and racing coasters. Music, theming, airtime, fun, this thing has it all and it’s just so well presented.
#2 Untamed – Walibi Holland
You may well be reeling at this one coming in second. Yes, it’s my favourite coaster in the Netherlands, but we didn’t bond on a personal level. I see Untamed as synonymous with me falling out with the park and though it’s a world class piece of hardware, as all RMCs are, it’s in the lower half of what they can offer. You could honestly do better.
#1 Lost Gravity – Walibi Holland
But you can’t do better than this for a Mack Big Dipper. There’s only 2 in the world right now and that’s just criminal in my eyes. Vicious, quirky and an all round bag of laughs, Lost Gravity has the power to make me doubt my feelings about the RMC in the same park. Chuck in the theme song, a couple of flamethrowers and a winged version of the best coaster seat in production, you’ve got no excuse to not visit the Netherlands now.
Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
The first few lists in this series fell into place relatively easily as there wasn’t a huge amount to choose from. Japan is the first of a different story though, I’ve ridden over 100 coasters here and still have a fair few that I really want to visit. Whilst I will still of course be considering unique and interesting draws, the sheer number here will largely lend itself to being a list of highlights and personal favourites.
#10 Milky Way – Greenland
We’ll start with something distinctly Japanese. Togo are the kings of stand-up coasters and I think it’s a real shame the ride type has seemingly died out. The best local example of this hardware is one half of this racing coaster at Greenland that happens to include some terrifying standing airtime.
#9 Do-Dodonpa – Fuji-Q Highland
I have a huge amount of respect for Fuji-Q and the way all 4 of the headline attractions almost have equal billing in terms of legendary ‘big name’ status throughout the industry, something almost no other park has achieved on the same scale. I’m going to jump at another opportunity to demonstrate why I don’t like clones here and say that Takabisha would have had this slot in the list as I preferred it to the Donp. BUT, there’s one in a mall in America now, to satisfy all those who would look at a coaster in Asia and say ‘they should build one of those over here’, instead of ‘they should build something unique’ and taking the opportunity to travel abroad (win win). So why would you bother going to Japan? Fortunately they still uniquely have the world’s fastest accelerating coaster. Is it thrilling and fun? Yes. Is it worth travelling for? Yes. Is it as good as I wanted it to be? Sadly not.
#8 Steel Dragon 2000 – Nagashima Spa Land
Another giant that I found slightly underwhelming, but simply by merit of its existence you can’t deny a Giga coaster, particularly when it’s also the longest coaster in the world. The first half leans much closer to ’90s hyper in execution in that it’s all visual with no sensation, but the second half with its ridiculously long consecutive sequence of decent airtime hills is great fun.
#7 Bandit – Yomiuriland
Honestly if I’m looking for that style of huge ride with not much going on, I’d much rather ride this monster (and visit this park). I have a bit of a thing for the Japanese Jet coaster, characterised by having shallow drops and layouts that are… less than inspired, they’re just so quaint and happy fun time. Bandit is by far the largest example of these, is a terrain coaster and is actually rather intense to boot. Then you chuck in the experience of ‘Wet Bandit‘ and it’s on a whole different level.
#6 Fujiyama – Fuji-Q Highland
Back to Fuji-Q but sticking to Togo, this is what happened when they stretched beyond Jet coaster, went for some more world records and tried out some hyper style significant drops. The result is a little off, but in a way that I greatly appreciate, particularly in the final moments when it just totally loses any sense of control. It’s very different and a hugely welcome change to the underwhelming cookie cutter hypers out there.
#5 Hollywood Dream (Backdrop) – Universal Studios Japan
Another hugely welcome change to the hyper scene, this one isn’t even tall enough. It also follows a rather untraditional layout which I’m all for. The best ride I’ve ever had on a B&M hyper, a ride type I respect more than love, was on this one, backwards, in the dark, music blaring from the onboard speakers. How many places can you have all of that at once? We’re in game changing territory now.
#4 Pyrenees – Parque Espana
Another exceptional B&M coaster in Japan, this time in the form of an invert. It’s my overall favourite of the type, perfectly blending all the things I love about them most. Not to be missed.
#3 Flying Dinosaur – Universal Studios Japan
These are all segueing rather nicely, from my favourite B&M invert to my number one B&M flyer. I consider this to be the finest creation to ever come from the manufacturer, being ridiculously intense and pushing the human body to limits it may or may not be able to handle.
#2 Hakugei – Nagashima Spa Land
I literally came back to this country just for this ride, in a park I’m not too keen on, so that should say enough about how significant Hakugei is to me. As the first RMC to break into the Asian market, they really pulled something special out of the bag here with their conversion of the classic woodie White Cyclone. It’s a top ten worldwide for me right now and I hope it caught the eyes of several neighbours.
#1 Eejanaika – Fuji-Q Highland
But there’s another coaster in my top ten out here and it happens to be the greatest working example of an S&S 4D coaster, one of the rarest and most sought after ride types in the world. No other piece of hardware in existence can do to you what Eejanaika does. I can’t process it or describe it, I almost can’t handle it, but I know that I love it beyond description. X2 needs to bow down to this one, there is no comparison.
Wait, no heartline coaster? Not just yet. I’m still saving myself for this bad boy.
Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
As home to my current favourite coaster and park, there won’t be much surprise in how most of this list turns out. Like Spain it’s actually a hard one to do as Sweden’s strength is in its consistency of ride quality and there really isn’t that much to choose from, with most being spread across just a handful of parks. I learnt today that there’s a lot of Wacky Worms outside the big 3 parks, a project for the future no doubt, but in the meantime here’s their most interesting, unique and enjoyable rollercoasters – probably with favouritism, it can’t be helped.
#10 Gruvbanan – Skara Sommarland
Which all means I’m stretching a bit to start here. Sweden’s only powered coaster? Not much of a claim. It does have a charming indoor section with some unusual decoration though. A solid and unique family coaster.
#9 Vilda Musen – Gröna Lund
I didn’t think much of this Gerstlauer Bobsled but it is a custom layout and has the potential for some good interaction with neighbouring Jetline. As a bonus bit of intrigue they like to play POVs of rides from around the world on queueline TVs – I do like a bit of fan service.
#8 Jetline – Gröna Lund
And here’s that neighbour. It’s had an interesting history, with almost too many manufacturers getting involved. Designed by Schwarzkopf, made by Zierer, built by BHS and modified by Maurer – there’s plenty of claims for the spreadsheet you can worm around there. It lacks a bit of punch in comparison to the Swedish brother further down the list and this is likely due to location constraints, but those limitations make the visual spectacle fascinating all by itself.
#7 Tranan – Skara Sommarland
Pure one of a kind. An S&S Free Fly with winged seats that freely rotate around an entirely different axis to what you’d usually find on Free Spins and more famously the 4D coasters. If you enjoy trying new models and any sense of completionism then this is definitely one to make the effort for. Tranan does feel like a prototype/proof of concept as it doesn’t do a huge amount with this special technology, I’m a little sad that it hasn’t been taken any further as of yet.
#6 Twister – Gröna Lund
Though admittedly my least favourite coaster from the Gravity Group, it’s still a great little woodie and reason enough to go to Gröna Lund on its own. If anything it will give you a greater sense of appreciation for how many sensations the manufacturer is able to create from so little potential energy. Like Tranan, a taster of better things to come.
#5 Valkyria – Liseberg
The announcement of any new B&M dive coasters has almost become a bit of an eye roll moment for enthusiasts and I have to admit I’m guilty of the same mindset. It’s a very predictable ride type which, while amazing for local patrons to experience for the first time, once you’ve done one you feel like you’ve done them all. In spite of all that Valkyria to me is the best B&M dive in the world and I was beyond happy with the result. It feels different. It moves with purpose throughout the layout. It looks fantastic. Even if you’ve done all the others, you need this one.
#4 Lisebergbanan – Liseberg
This ride still blows my mind every time I see and ride it. The efficiency and amount of trains it runs is sheer delight, but it’s the landscaping, terrain and interaction that really make it a world class attraction. There’s just nothing else out there like it. Visit Sweden specifically for this hillside.
#3 Balder – Liseberg
Tons of airtime, one of only 4 Intamin prefab woodies in the world. What more reason do you need?
#2 Wildfire – Kolmården
Location, location, location. While I’m not Wildfire’s biggest fan, entirely due to what I feel like is a bit of wasted potential, RMCs feel like that new set that is both reasonably achievable and that everyone wants to finish. And rightly so. Even the worst of them is incredible.
#1 Helix – Liseberg
Forget everything you read above. Visit Sweden for the next level of rollercoasters. Here’s why.
Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
When it came to Spain I felt like I’d shot myself in the foot by trying to stretch to ten coasters (across a healthy range of parks) worth a mention for every country in the list, it’s all very concentrated here. Might be some more cheating going on, but I think I pulled it off. Here’s their most interesting, unique and enjoyable rollercoasters, not necessarily in the order of favouritism.
#10 Abismo – Parque de Atracciones de Madrid
I was torn between putting this and Tornado, the Intamin invert (or even TNT Tren de la Mina the Gerstlauer family coaster – my actual favourite ride in the park). Although extremely rare, Tornado is just so forgettable and while Abismo was abysmal, at least it was memorable. As the world’s only Maurer Skyloop with an extended layout, this one decides to compliment the usual discomfort of the starting sequence with providing airtime directly to the chest due to poor restraint design. The result is obviously rather lung crushing, but also highly amusing if experienced in good company.
#9 Stunt Fall– Parque Warner Madrid
This ride wasn’t running when we visited the park back in 2017, but I have ridden an equivalent model in China (did you expect anything less from me?). Giant Inverted Boomerangs are relatively few and far between throughout the world and seem to be plagued with reliability issues, so that makes actually getting on one of them feel that extra bit special. Despite the negative associations that would come with being a Vekoma Boomerang, I didn’t actually mind the experience – the backwards vertical lift is very unnerving and it caused me no specific harm.
#8 Dragon Khan – PortAventura
The first of many Portaventura resort entries here, obviously, though I don’t have a lot of love for old Dragon Khan. As well as being a past holder of the record for most inversions, B&M’s traditional sit down coasters are rather rare throughout the world as well and it should have been an intense and thrilling experience, complimented by that smooth B&M goodness. By the time we got around to riding it, there had been a noticeable deterioration in the quality, but at least it looks fantastic.
#7 Red Force – Ferrari Land
I still think Red Force is daft. Sure it’s the tallest and fastest coaster in Europe now, but it took those titles directly from its sister park and it’s just so… uninspired to keep building these one up, one down Intamin launch layouts. I will admit that the punch of the LSMs (fastest in the world) was surprisingly forceful after we spent many months mocking what it may be like compared to the older Hydraulic versions and if you haven’t done anything like this before then it should probably be well up there on the list of things to do.
#6 Furius Baco – PortAventura
Previously Europe’s fastest coaster (except during Ring Racer’s ridiculously brief stint at the top), this is another of PortAventura’s marmite attractions. Often declared to be downright brutal, I actually found it hilarious as it bounced around a stupid layout at stupidly high speeds. It shows off the power of the hydraulic technology particularly well and that inversion is way better than it should have been. It’s also extremely well presented, preshow and all.
#5 Stampida – PortAventura
Although they’re generally not very well received I actually loved these racing CCI woodies. Anything that races is already onto a winner for me as I’m a big fan of ride interaction. At the time they were riding with a near perfect amount of shake, rattle and roll for my personal tastes on wooden coasters and we had many, many enjoyable laps (and victories) on both sides.
#4 Batman: Arkham Asylum – Parque Warner Madrid
A heavily cloned B&M Invert as a reason to visit? Bah. This is actually by far the best Batman I have ridden to date and it’s just so damn intense. If you’re coming from the states I wouldn’t expect you to bat an eyelid, but we only actually have one of them here in Europe so it’s at least a little bit special.
#3 Muntanya Russa – Tibidabo
This gem of a park on top of a mountain in Barcelona is also home to a hidden treasure. An unassuming Vekoma coaster with incredible views and intense terrain based helices, make sure you spend an evening up here at least once while in the area.
#2 Superman / la Atracción de Acero– Parque Warner Madrid
Luckily, just next door to that Batman above, there’s a custom B&M floorless that is also one of my favourites of its type, providing a great one two punch for Madrid. I’m not quite sure what sets this Superman apart from the many I’ve ridden since but it has a certain flow and satisfying sequence of elements that impressed me more than it perhaps should have.
#1 Shambhala– PortAventura
To be clear again, this is not my favourite ride in Spain. I was massively underwhelmed by my experiences with Shambhala, not helped at all by the reputation that precedes this legendary European coaster. But it is just that, a legend, and you probably shouldn’t go through life without riding it. It’s a primary reason to visit Spain for rollercoasters and definitely highly rerideable and fun. Just don’t expect anything ground breaking, I’d much rather you were pleasantly surprised.
Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
Other than the obvious Disney & Asterix combo, ‘major’ parks seem to be less of a thing in France. Everything else is a bit more low key and I’d say that actually works in their favour, especially with each of their own little quality highlights that all really start to add up to a solid trip or two (or ten from my location). Here’s their most interesting, unique and enjoyable rollercoasters, not necessarily in the order of favouritism.
#10 Space Mountain – Disneyland Paris
Somehow this ride has eluded me on two separate resort visits now. Knowing that it was another indoor Vekoma Looper like Rock’n’Rollercoaster just next door meant that missing out never bothered me too much. I’m sad about missing the old theme, but with the more recent revamp (I’m also a sucker for Star Wars), the fact that it’s unique against the other Disney variants across the globe and that I’ve just discovered it has the world’s only element called the ‘tongue’ means I am rather intrigued now and definitely need to give it a go.
#9Gaz Express – Bagatelle
France have their own manufacturer in Soquet and it would be a shame to not try out at least one of their offerings while you’re in the region. This one comes with an amazing theming package along with both water and fire effects. The back seats can be brutal too.
#8 Yukon Quad – Parc Le Pal
I know we had Juvelen in the Denmark list and you know I’m not big on clones, but it’s such a good family launch coaster that it put this lovely zoo on the map for enthusiasts and ticked one final box to make me personally visit. If you haven’t ridden Juvelen – bonus. If you have, come for Azteka instead – it’s my favourite Soquet and quirky as anything.
#7 Pégase Express – Parc Astérix
Yes there are more significant creds at Parc Astérix but honestly I don’t think those are currently any more worth the visit than this wonderful Gerstlauer family coaster. The world definitely needs to invest in more of these builds as they’re high quality, well rounded attractions. Of course now you’re in the park there’s a B&M invert, a CCI woodie and the infamous Goudurix (which is fine) and you know we’re just keeping the spot in the list warm until that Intamin finally opens anyway.
#6 Big Thunder Mountain – Disneyland Paris
As far as I’m concerned this is the best Big Thunder in the world for the location and layout. The way it builds to such a climactic, disorientating and out of control ending sequence makes me very happy indeed. One of Disney’s finest coasters anywhere.
#5 Alpina Blitz – Nigloland
I’m so torn on the existence of this ride (and where to place it). It’s a Mack – that’s good. It’s a clone of the Intamin Megalite layout – that’s bad. It comes with my favourite trains – that’s good. It’s not as good as Piraten – that’s bad. It’s still a highly enjoyable ride though and to some degree a different experience at least – worth a shot.
#4 Monster – Walygator Parc
This B&M invert tried to kill me and for that reason it’s one of my favourites. It’s a stupidly intense ride and the weather was in excess of 40°C. Even if you’ve done Raptor at Cedar Point (unlike me) you obviously need to experience the clone without a mid course brake run.
#3 Timber – Walibi Rhône-Alpes
Of course I think you need to give this one some attention, it’s a Gravity Group woodie and I’m their biggest fan. Timber packs a ridiculous amount of airtime into the tiniest of layouts. It’ll leave you wanting more, but in the best way.
#2 Wood Express – Parc Saint Paul
Gravity woodies! I can’t get enough of them and I love that France appears to think the same way. Every small park in the world should get a little wooden coaster of this quality because you just can’t go wrong. Low cost + incredibly fun = instant hit. Why, Wicker Man, why?
#1 Mystic – Walibi Rhône-Alpes
It’s a bit out of the way, but this park (and chain) has really stepped its game up in terms of investments recently. I wasn’t ready for how good this Gerstlauer Infinity was. They throw so much creativity and such a wide range of amazing forces into their recent layouts and I just adore that. Stop selling the Eurofighter now. This is the future.
Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
Obviously I have a skewed perspective (hugely negative of course) on why you should come here for coasters because I don’t need to. I am here. The first few on the list definitely wouldn’t be my go to rides for a pure coaster fix in the UK as that would almost entirely revolve around just one or two parks. So here’s our most interesting, unique and (generally) enjoyable rollercoasters, not necessarily in the order of favouritism.
#10 Millennium – Fantasy Island
I know, Vekoma Looper. No one really wants that. This one is disturbingly smooth though and the layout and location couldn’t be more unusual, with the station literally hovering over a street corner, complete with both a fish ‘n’ chip and a betting shop. How British. There’s also the world’s biggest SLC wrapped around it, but all I’ll say is good luck with that one.
#9 Shockwave – Drayton Manor
Stand up coasters of any type are getting very rare throughout the world now and this is the only remaining Intamin version still in operation. There are farbetter examples out there, but I believe it’s a sensation you need to at least try in as many forms as possible in order to appreciate the best (Togo). This park has already given up on its other major thrill coaster (no big loss), so grab it while you can.
#8 Ziggy’s Blast Quest – The Milky Way Adventure Park
Formerly known as Clone Zone, this Caripro Batflyer is more dark ride than rollercoaster and more haunted walkthrough than dark ride. You’ll be hard pressed to find another one of these (Top 10 coaster reasons to visit Indonesia? It’s on my bucket list). It recently had an overhaul and now includes guns so I can’t speak for it currently, but I trust that they’ve kept it equally weird and wonderful.
#7 Cannonball Express – Pleasurewood Hills
A Schwarzkopf Jumbo V? What’s that? Well this is your only chance to find out. The manufacturer’s signature tracking, tight turns and a cute baby train make this one to at least consider. We’ve obviously got a bit of a thing for using name changes as a cheap rebrand because this will always be called Enigma to me.
#6 Ultimate – Lightwater Valley
While I rather prefer Raptor Attack as an attraction at this park, I cannot deny the monster that is Ultimate and the draw it should have on people. It will hunt me down and hurt me if I do. Completely unique, completely vicious, completely bonkers. Watch out for deer.
#5 Dragon’s Fury – Chessington World of Adventures Resort
Although it is one of our major theme parks, Chessington doesn’t appear all that special when viewed solely from the likes of RCDB or coast2coaster. The sprawling layout of this custom Maurer spinner actually lends it to being one of the best of its type in the world. Surprise backwards airtime? I didn’t know we had it in us.
#4 Smiler – Alton Towers
I don’t want to sing the praises of records for the sake of records but going for most inversions in the world and making an interesting layout out of it – that’s a respectable feat. Smiler can be a bit too much sometimes and there’s a section of dodgy track in there, but I secretly love it and it’s definitely one to tick off your list.
#3 Swarm – Thorpe Park
Sticking to the theme of not just making this my 10 favourite rides (and secret loves) here, I’m opting for this B&M over the obvious Invert. Come for Swarm. It’s our only wing coaster, it has an abundance of Thorpe’s unique brand of depressing thematics and they might even chuck in a fire effect for you. Sadly I can’t offer you the backwards facing seats any more.
#2 Nemesis – Alton Towers
This is why this list would have just been Alton Towers x10 if I had approached it any differently – and we’ve already got one for that. Obviously an absolute legend and it was probably THE coaster in Europe back in the ’90s. It’s still hugely well regarded and undoubtably a quality coaster package that should not be missed.
#1 Icon – Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool is a must visit regardless, but my favourite UK coaster has to top the list. Put all the interest and intrigue aside for now, if you want the most enjoyable ride experience we have to offer then Icon is where it’s at. There are a ton of other interesting creds at this park but this is the one to make the journey for. In fact I’ll be doing that tomorrow.
Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
First to make the cut was Denmark, so here’s their most interesting, unique and (generally) enjoyable rollercoasters, not necessarily in the order of favouritism.
#10 Tornado – Bakken
Let’s have no delusions here that this ride is actually any good. It’s pointless at best, painful at worst. However this Intamin spinning coaster with it’s weird launched chain lift really is one of a kind and therefore just has to be experienced. For the intrigue, and a laugh.
#9 Cobra – Tivoli Friheden
Continuing on the theme of entirely unique coaster models, Cobra (not photographed – I was too busy dreading the SCAD tower to think about things like that – have a look here) is the world’s only Sartori Rides ‘Energizer’ in existence. A two seat wide inverted train negotiates an awe-inspiringly compact layout of tight turns and inversions, including its namesake cobra roll, all from a mere height of 68.9ft. As with Tornado, it’s not overly enjoyable in the grand scheme of things, but I fully respect this one and recommend trying it out.
#8 Drage Kongen – Djurs Sommerland
Intamin have had severalattempts at inverts, with a handful of custom layouts and the reasonably popular (to buy) compact Impulse model. This was their first foray into Suspended family coaster territory, the likes of which we’ve seen a lot of from Vekoma recently, including Orkanen just up the road. As it’s a better ride, the Vekoma would have taken this entry in the list were it not for the fact that is has since become a prolific clone throughout the world, so instead we’ll stick to our key words – unique and interesting. Drage Kongen comes with a surprise bonus feature when departing the station and is an entertaining enough experience, even though it doesn’t quite deliver the thrills that some of us were foolish enough to hope for.
#7 Lynet – FårupSommerland
I didn’t expect much from Lynet and came away pleasantly surprised, with some additional hope for Gerstlauer’s future. The manufacturer have only ever specifically marketed two of their builds as just a ‘launch coaster’, blurring the lines between their other thrill models and this one has a satisfyingly varied and forceful layout. Usually this train design of theirs leaves a lot to be desired but as the tracking was butter smooth in this case, there was no harm done.
#6Polar X-plorer – Legoland Billund
Zierer were the second manufacturer to attempt a drop track section on a coaster after Intamin pioneered the idea at Alton Towers. The result here is a cracking family coaster that’s full of ambition and I wish more of the Legoland parks were willing to invest in this sort of hardware.
#5 Falken – Fårup Sommerland
As the only S&S wooden coaster of four to make it outside of the USA and with now only two left operating in the world, this relatively baby woodie is well worth the visit to Denmark’s furthest reaches. It also helps that this one packs a surprising punch for the size.
#4 Juvelen – Djurs Sommerland
Family coasters seem to be doing very well in this list now, which makes a lot of sense as there’s nothing outrageously huge in Denmark. Juvelen makes excellent use of its exposed quadbike style trains, a bit of landscaping and a rolling second launch to provide an exhilirating experience that everyone should enjoy.
#3Dæmonen – Tivoli Gardens
The first true big coaster on the list and the only B&M in the country, this floorless coaster follows an unusual layout that was able to squeeze itself into the middle of the capital city and has become an iconic sight within the beautiful Tivoli Gardens. While it’s far from the most intense in terms of hardware, it has an undeniable quirky charm to it that I just can’t get enough of.
#2 Rutschebanen – Tivoli Gardens
The standout attraction at Tivoli Gardens is their brakeman wooden coaster though. Despite being the oldest continually operating rollercoaster in the world, Rutschebanen hasn’t lost any of its vigour, providing lots of highly exposed airtime and wild laterals throughout the glorious mountain structure.
#1 Piraten – Djurs Sommerland
The original installation of the Intamin Megalite appears to be by far the best of them. Initially I was completely blown away by this layout as it managed to even put other Intamin megacoasters to shame with its combination of legendary airtime and perfect pacing. The other models I’ve ridden since have fallen short of this expectation, but Piraten remains the king and one of the most satisfying (and strenuous) creds to marathon in Europe. Go ride it.
The world hasn’t seen Intamin build a new wooden rollercoaster for over 12 years now and it’s a real shame, as a certain few turned out to be particularly spectacular, still holding their own amongst the latest and greatest from the Gravity Groups and GCIs of today. Unlike these rivals, Intamin design and create many other ride types from their edgy and innovative steel coasters to a multitude of water and flat rides, so their portion of the wooden market has always been rather limited.
They began using the material in 1981, boldly putting out the world’s fastest wooden rollercoaster of the time at Six Flags Great America – American Eagle remains the largest set of racing woodies to this day. Over the next 20 years only a handful more were built, with most of the market interest coming from Japan.
Japan’s latest wooden installation in 2001 was also the last to be created in a traditional manner by Intamin. In the same year their now well renowned pre-fabricated design was also introduced over in Germany. This ‘pre-fab’ style involves a unique manufacturing process for the track which allowed woodies to go steeper, faster and smoother than ever before. Only 4 of these have been built so far and though they are still available as a product, all has gone quiet on that front, the most common assumption being that this is due to the comparative cost of purchasing one.
This was always a both desirable and achievable collection to me and I have managed to ride all of the pre-fabs now, along with a couple of the older style (still need that original). There really is no comparision in ride experience between the old and the new – the design is that revolutionary. I feel that I have to flesh out this list somehow though.
#6 Elf – Hirakata Park (Japan)
This little woodie is cute and fun, much like the park it lives in, but it really doesn’t do a whole lot. Some semblance of airtime and a lot of long corners. I hope this isn’t the reason Japan seem to have given up on wooden coasters.
#5 Regina – Tobu Zoo (Japan)
Sadly now defunct, Regina can only really be described as bigger Elf. It rode largely the same, albeit twice the size – some semblance of airtime and a lot of long corners. It’s hard to believe that these two were installed only 12 months before this game was changed forever. Definitely playing it safe here.
#4 Colossos – Heide Park (Germany)
Not playing it safe comes at a price though, and a particularly hefty one for Heide Park. By the time I reached Colossos in 2016 it appeared to be a shell of its former self. The airtime was strong, but it rode very poorly in the bottom of the dips and throughout the long corner (singular this time at least). The ride closed just 3 months later and after what appeared to be much deliberation by the finance department, underwent an extensive refurbishment. Reports would suggest that this didn’t really help much, which is a shame – this legendary coaster started something truly great.
#3 Balder – Liseberg (Sweden)
My favourite coaster is complimented by a cracking woodie and it would have to be, to make me even consider walking away from Helix for more than a few minutes. Balder is characterised by being both compact and weirdly smooth, squeezing in as much wild airtime as physically possible between the unwanted return of those long corners. The design is far from my favourite when it comes to wooden coasters as it becomes almost laughably predictable after a couple of goes, even though it’s still an amazing experience.
#2 T-Express – Everland(South Korea)
This remains the most recent installation and it’s hard to wonder how it could be topped. Allegedly the park asked Intamin to design a combination of the two most recently built pre-fab coasters, somehow on the side of a hill, and T-Express was born. While I adored this ride the above story does bug me, as the second half is almost exactly Balder again, long corners and all. To its credit, the trains are longer and it seems to haul through this part a lot quicker with a slightly more out of control feeling. The first half is where it’s at though. The steepness of the initial drop still defies belief and the shaping is simply awesome to behold on ride. You can’t even see all of it, it just disappears into nothing below you. The subsequent hill is one of the greatest moments of airtime in the world, ever, providing a sustained and surreal moment of not even knowing what to do with my arm, legs, anything. More of that please.
#1 El Toro – Six Flags Great Adventure (USA)
And here it is. More. El Toro was the last of the collection for me and the perfect way to finish it. Everything I loved most about the others rolled into one mind blowing package. It has a slightly rougher edge to give it character and the whippiest corners in the business through the ‘bucking bronco.’ That first drop. That hill. That hill again. That other hill. If I hadn’t ridden Skyrush the previous day it would have been the most intense airtime ever. Bow down to the bull.
Europe’s first RMC coaster was a particularly exciting addition that seemingly came out of nowhere. Who would have thought that a zoo in rural Sweden would be the first to fork out for one? We had already been hearing stories from over the Atlantic about how this manufacturer were changing the game in rollercoaster design and after some early teething problems I was finally able to check it out for myself.
While often specialising in hybrid creations, several of RMC’s ground up installations so far, including Wildfire, have been classified as wooden coasters by virtue of having their distinctive and highly manoeuvrable rails laid directly on top of layers of wood. Most of the support structure was also crafted out of timbers in this case with the exception of the striking lift hill section with it’s contrasting steel.
The ride begins with a relatively sharp ascent up this and with a little kick at the top, the train runs round a 270° flat turnaround. The landscape around Kolmården is breathtaking, particularly within the coaster scene and this well planned moment gives you a little extra time to appreciate that.
While distracted, the train has guests ducking directly under the top of the lift hill before being thrust into this wonderfully steep and sustained first drop that just falls out from under your feet. The sensation of being pinned out of your seat for several seconds is always a welcome one.
The pull out adjusts into a turn which then lifts you up and into one of the most magical elements in the coaster world. Wildfire’s stall creates a highly unnatural feeling of floating upside down, neither in or out of your seat for what seems like an age. Enough time for me to throw my hands out and exclaim ‘what is this?’ every time, at a minimum.
The next part puts the ‘wild’ into the name as you whip round into an outwardly banked sideways airtime hill, get dragged through a shed full smoke (I guess the ‘fire’ from the name) and hit a speed hump with some decent ferociousness.
As the train traverses around the back of some rockwork the second inversion flips you over it and down into the remainder of the layout which was sadly a little underwhelming. A sequence of attempted airtime hills and turns amongst the landscape that didn’t quite deliver, punctuated by a graceful zero-G roll which I simply adored. The speed gradually gets sapped away, with the pacing issue becoming really noticeable just before the brake run.
A very strong start that fizzles out to a weaker end, that was my overall impression of Wildfire and I didn’t really know where I stood on the RMC situation. Having heard a lot of superlatives (even from the park, claiming it to be the world’s greatest wooden rollercoaster before it had even opened) we immediately said of course well no, it’s not the best thing ever. It was really, really good, a unique experience and at the time a contender for my personal top ten, but if this is meant to be one of the stronger examples from the manufacturer, perhaps they aren’t the world beaters they’re being made out to be.
Unorthodox elements like the sideways hill are very few and far between throughout most coaster designs but I had already experienced something similar on an S&S launch coaster earlier in the year so I wasn’t quite as taken with this as I might have otherwise been. As this was the most unusual feature of the ride other than the stall, I didn’t feel that I got a true sense of what separated RMCs from the crowd at this early stage.
The other thing that bugged me about the greatest wooden rollercoaster claim, particularly when the ride began topping wooden coaster polls is that to me Wildfire didn’t provide any physical indication that you were riding a wooden rollercoaster. It had none of the shake, rattle and roll, none of the character that the material usually provides and therefore making that statement, only for it to fall flat, gave the ride a bit of a cold and clinical vibe to me.
For some reason while evaluating the experience in my mind during the day I decided to declare that this ride had made me appreciate Kärnan a lot more (and that’s always a good thing). I have since coined this Wildfire syndrome – a character trait of a coaster that indirectly improves your feelings on another, especially one that’s entirely unrelated.
4 years later, knowing what I know now, I can pinpoint exactly why I didn’t fall head over heels for Wildfire (other than physically of course). I know they are capable of making wood feel like wood as the legendary Lightning Rod did specifically provide the sensations I would associate with the material and was even enhanced by that fact.
Most significantly though was the airtime during the layout, other than the first drop, this Swedish monster just doesn’t have anywhere near the same level of hard hitting impact as every other RMC I have tried since. The spark that the manufacturer brings to the game for me is the way they blend all the weird and wonderful elements and inversions with some of the most powerful and intense airtime in the business – creating the real and complete package that my dreams are often made of. Wildfire just doesn’t behave in the same manner and is therefore the weakest example of its type for me, while still being amazing as a standalone coaster.
