Rough Rides

> Which UK rides are considered the roughest?
> I vote for Grand National. That first
> "double drop" is a real
> back-slammer. Blackpool's mouse isn't too
> bad if you fill out the carriage with two
> people. Also, which steelies stand accused
> of "ear" or "head"
> banging, as I've been on most of them but
> thankfully never experienced it. Gra.

Id have to say the corkscrew at Alton Towers that just hurts. I wouldnt class Grand National as a rough ride just a ride with extremely outragous airtime and its great.
Pete

World of Coasters

Id have to say the corkscrew at Alton Towers
> that just hurts. I wouldnt class Grand
> National as a rough ride just a ride with
> extremely outragous airtime and its great.
> Pete

Grand National is a moody coaster and can either be excellent fun or a real pain (particularly in the back seat) depending on conditions. They've taken a carriage off each of the trains to help this but even so it was a sore experience for me most of last season. When it's running well, though, it's fantastic, so I hope they manage to sort it out.
Mouse is also quite painful but it's so much fun I really don't mind. The worst thing is trying not to headbutt the person you're riding with.
As for steelies, I've had no problems with Corkscrew (although Flamingoland's identical model is much smoother). The only steelie I've heard reported as really rough is Tornado in Scotland, but I've not ridden it.

Cal

Alton's Corkscrew was fine last year with Vekoma's new style cars (I don't know what it was like before).

As for The Grand National, my back disagrees. Surely airtime can be fun without slamming the rider? What about Southport's Cyclone?

I think negative g's are better when the rider is held secure (with over-the-shoulder restraints). People say this restricts it, but it just means you don't come out of your seat. The speedbumps on Corkscrews or the dip before the third inversion on Millennium Coaster are good.

Id have to say the corkscrew at Alton Towers
> that just hurts. I wouldnt class Grand
> National as a rough ride just a ride with
> extremely outragous airtime and its great.
> Pete

On those "single-file" rides (like The Black Hole), the person in front can lean to the left and the person behind can lean to the right (or vice-versa).
Having said that, with all the timber flying past on the Mouse, I can understand a reluctance to do that!

> Id have to say the corkscrew at Alton Towers
> Grand National is a moody coaster and can
> either be excellent fun or a real pain
> (particularly in the back seat) depending on
> conditions. They've taken a carriage off
> each of the trains to help this but even so
> it was a sore experience for me most of last
> season. When it's running well, though, it's
> fantastic, so I hope they manage to sort it
> out. Mouse is also quite painful but it's
> so much fun I really don't mind. The worst
> thing is trying not to headbutt the person
> you're riding with. As for steelies, I've
> had no problems with Corkscrew (although
> Flamingoland's identical model is much
> smoother). The only steelie I've heard
> reported as really rough is Tornado in
> Scotland, but I've not ridden it. Cal

There's a non-looping indoor steelie at Flamingo land with OTSR that are quite nasty. Can't remember it's name, but I think it's a Pinfari Zyklon of some sort.

Oh yeah, I've been on that. Near the Corkscrew. "Thunder Mountain" isn't it? The layout seemed like the outdoor one at "Marvel's" of Scarborough.

> There's a non-looping indoor steelie at
> Flamingo land with OTSR that are quite
> nasty. Can't remember it's name, but I think
> it's a Pinfari Zyklon of some sort.

I'm not sure whether it's still there, but back in the early 80's I rode a Wild Mouse at Southsea, Portsmouth. That and a Wild Mouse at Southport that sprung up for what must have been only one season qualify as runners up. But the overall winner?....The now defunct Log Runner near the Go Carts at Southport...I swear I had dead flies on my teeth and teeth marks on my knee by the end of the ride. The 180 degree turn into the station was on par with Blackpool's Wild Mouse.

Sorrr id have to disagree about the corkscrew but since it had the new trains in 96 it was as rough as the old trains
> Alton's Corkscrew was fine last year with
> Vekoma's new style cars (I don't know what
> it was like before). As for The Grand
> National, my back disagrees. Surely airtime
> can be fun without slamming the rider? What
> about Southport's Cyclone? I think negative
> g's are better when the rider is held secure
> (with over-the-shoulder restraints). People
> say this restricts it, but it just means you
> don't come out of your seat. The speedbumps
> on Corkscrews or the dip before the third
> inversion on Millennium Coaster are good.
> Id have to say the corkscrew at Alton Towers

> On those "single-file" rides (like
> The Black Hole), the person in front can
> lean to the left and the person behind can
> lean to the right (or vice-versa). Having
> said that, with all the timber flying past
> on the Mouse, I can understand a reluctance
> to do that!

That's what I normally try to do, although getting flung around so much it's not always possible... :)

Cal