Superman Ride of Steel Continues Dominance, Top Coaster in Mitch’s Poll
Not a lot of surprises at the very top of Mitch Hawker’s 2007 Steel Roller Coaster Poll. For the seventh year in a row Superman at Six Flags New England and Expedition GeForce at topped the poll. The rest of the top coasters shifted around a bit, except for the controversial inclusion of Everland’s Eagle’s Fortress at 3rd. I’m working on a post just on Eagle’s Fortress and whether it should rank so high considering it only had 6 riders. Look out for that post soon. Of the new for 2007 roller coasters, Cedar Point’s Maverick entered the poll at 10th and Busch Garden’s Griffon at 13th.

Thrill Rides, Not the Best Roller Coasters
The tallest, fastest, and most intense rides don’t appear to translate into the best overall roller coasters as some would think. Adrenaline junkies like to argue for these rides and they can give unforgettable experiences, but the enthusiasts that took the poll didn’t agree. Thrill rides like Cedar Point’s Top Thrill Dragster (#23), Magic Mountain’s X (#57), Great Adventure’s Kingda Ka (#61), Kings Dominion’s (now defunct) Hypersonic XLC (#152), and Superman The Escape Magic Mountain (#219), didn’t fair so well in the coaster poll.

Disney’s Roller Coasters
The highest ranked Disney coaster was California Screamin’ at 62 . Roller coasters aren’t really Disney’s strong suit. Other Disney coasters that ranked in the top 100 were Disneyland Paris’ Thunder Mountain (#74) and AnimalExpedition Everest (#82). In case you’ve ever wondered, California’s Disneyland has the best of the Space Mountains coming in at 110th.

My Personal Favorite Still Highly Ranked
I feel more and more justified in my high praise for Kumba at Busch Gardens Africa. It’s my all-time favorite coaster and ranked #1, but not the best moves up to 18 this year. After all of the advances and newer coasters that have come about since Kumba opened in 1993, it’s cool to see that other enthusiasts agree that Kumba’s among the best in the world.

1 Superman: Ride of Steel. at Six Flags New England (Mass.) Intamin Hyper Coaster
2 Expedition GeForce at Holiday Park (Germany) Intamin Mega Coaster
3 Eagle Fortress at Everland (South Korea) Arrow Suspended Coaster
4 Millennium Force at Cedar Point (Ohio) Intamin Giga Coaster
5 Katun at Mirabilandia (Italy) B&M Inverted Coaster
6 Nemesis at Alton Towers (UK) B&M Inverted Coaster
7 Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia (Georgia) B&M Hyper Coaster
8 Goliath at Walibi World (Netherlands) Intamin Mega Coaster
9 Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey) B&M Hyper Coaster
10 Maverick at Cedar Point (Ohio) Intamin Launch Coaster
Complete 2007 steel coaster poll results.

More on Mitch Hawker’s Coaster poll including last year’s results, click here. Where did your favorite coasters place? Check out the full list here. Do you agree with the rankings? Leave a comment below.