Steel vs. Wood | Theme Park Round Table
For this week’s Weekly Topic I thought I’d invoke the eternal battle in the coaster enthusiast community. Like PC vs. Mac, conservative vs. liberal, Pepsi vs. Coke. Most fall into one or the other. It’s a simple question that’s been asked and discussed countless times. Which do you prefer wooden or steel roller coasters?
I would like to add a wrinkle to this classic question. What if you could only ride just one type of coaster? I know that there are many woodie fans that swear by their beloved wooden coasters, but still enjoy the extreme heights, speeds, inversions of steel coasters. Well, I’m making them choose. If they could ride exclusively wooden coasters, would they still choose their allegiance to those old amusement park staples.
Steel Coasters: State of the Art Thrill Machines
I fall in the steel coaster camp, but I’ve grown to appreciate wooden coasters as I’ve started to travel more. Rides like Boulder Dash, Voyage, and Hades are amazing to say the least. Even still, I prefer the smooth ride, jet fighter-like inversions, and insane heights that steel coasters can offer. I also enjoy the many varieties of steel coasters. The last few decades have brought us a plethora of new ride types including dive, flying, inverted, and hyper coasters to name a few. With the many flavors of steel coasters comes an wide range of sensations that riders can experience.
Wooden Coasters: Timeless Amusement Park Staples
Woodie fans love the classic and time tested feel of being thrown around on a rickety old wooden landmark like the Coney Island Cyclone. I credit a large amount of the love for wooden coasters a result of nostalgia as many fans grew up riding them way back when.
Many woodie fans prefer the roughness for the challenge that it brings. This was no more apparent than when Intamin’s first pre-fabricated wooden coaster debuted in the U.S. with Great Adventure’s El Toro. Enthusiasts like myself applauded the smooth as glass ride (not to mention the abundance of airtime), but wooden purists scoffed at the idea of a wooden coaster with an overly smooth ride. They claimed that El Toro much like Son of Beast, when it had its loop, were abominations and were not what wooden coasters were meant to be.
See which side of the great debate these other theme park bloggers fell on:
Responses:
News Plus Notes
Theme Park Village
A Walk in the Park
Coasterdom
What’s your take? If you had to choose one, would it be wooden or steel? Leave a comment below. Photos courtesy of CoasterImage.
April 15, 2008 at 10:49
Although I like woodies, I am definitely a Steel fanatic. I love the speeds and height it can offer, plus some awesome inversions.
May 31, 2009 at 18:37
STEEL!
CAUSE STEEL HAS MORE AIR TIME.
June 24, 2009 at 07:41
STEEL!!!!!
woodies are too rough, granted El Toro is a Woodie. Steel rides have more air time, granted El Toro is a Woodie.
June 28, 2009 at 12:48
No question steel roller coasters. They can go so much higher and do inversion. And let me say they are so much smoother!
August 19, 2009 at 07:50
If you ask me steel is better for one reason and one reason only: whith steel you can basicaly do anything while whith wood theyre are some resrtictions, for instance, you can still do loops whith wood but thats bacicly the only way you can go upside down while with steel you can go in corksrews and evry type of roll along whith other types of loops. also althogh wood and steel can have the same amount of air time steel is stronger so therefore the heights (cause and effect) and speeds can be greater (a.k.a. cheaper), beacause of tubular steel technology steel can be safer than wood to ride on lanches can take place beacause theres no risk that the train will fly off the trackwhile with wood the risks would be high, whith steel there are more types of coasters you can make such as flying, inverted, and standing multi-dimmesional to name a few while whith wood theres only flying turs and normal whith wood the limmits don`t restrict to much but they have limmits that is the only reason steel is better than wood. wood is great but steel wins my vote.
February 19, 2010 at 05:58
Bro stay in school and work on your spelling. It kind of sucks!!!
February 20, 2010 at 05:53
Okay to point out terrible spelling, but please be nice about it or your comments won't be approved. Thanks!
February 21, 2010 at 03:59
I never remember to check my spelling afterwards, or my punctuatiuon for that matter. thanks for pointing it out.
September 2, 2009 at 05:35
Yeah, I'd have to say Steel. My favorite rollercoaster happens to be wooden (Voyage), but steel is much more present in my top ten.
Steel coasters are just more consistant than wood. Wooden coasters can have good/bad days (or even hours), and are affected a lot more by the weather than steelies.
I also love the glass-smooth rides a good steelie gives. I'm a speed lover, and steelies are great for super-fast speed.
So yeah, steel wins. But, I love em' all!
January 11, 2010 at 12:46
So much vs. Pepsi vs. Coke in roller coasters. If this were an election, steel would win in a landslide. The first six comments all favored steel, and now, make that seven. I love steel coasters, from the loops to the height to the variety… Steel coasters have it all.
January 11, 2010 at 13:30
No Offense woddie fans!
February 20, 2010 at 08:41
Steel. Steel is like a brand new 2010 Lamborghini(sp?) and wood is like a 1980's datsun hooptie. i enjoy both tho
February 21, 2010 at 04:17
I wouldn`t say steel is like a brand new car. what about all of those old arrows.
February 21, 2010 at 13:50
yea i should clarify i should say all the B&M's i've been on are like new cars lol! i'm not an experienced rider like most of you guys are tho. only 12 coasters!
February 21, 2010 at 15:42
hey, it`s a start. what are your plans for next year?
February 21, 2010 at 17:44
I live in Northern VA area and my wife and I have season passes for Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Of course I want to go to Kings Dominion especially for Intimidator. Hopefully Hershey Park in April and I want to go to Six Flags in NJ!!
February 22, 2010 at 00:42
Mike, the Mid-Atlantic is the place to be. You've so many great parks within driving distance. You can easily catch up on 'lost time' in a summer by hitting Dorney, Hershey, Knoebels, Great Adventure, Six Flags America, Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens. They're all within 4 to 5 hour drives.
February 22, 2010 at 02:43
I`m a bit higher up in central New York, but i can go to new england and the great escape quicker, along whith all of those other parks you mentioned.
February 22, 2010 at 10:56
Well I'm hoping to get to at least 4 this year!! I'm thinking maybe an Ohio trip next year. If you asked my wife I think I'm driving her crazy waiting for Spring to get here! lol
April 12, 2010 at 22:28
I would have to agree with the majority of you about the steel coasters, as they tend to have many major benefits over wooden, though there are also some exceptions, as in my home state of Minnesota, our theme park Valleyfair just two summers ago installed a new woodie which is not your standard "out and back" classic.
Here is the link, as it's hard to describe, but feel free to take a look and compare it to a steelie.
http://www.valleyfair.com/public/attractions/ride…
April 13, 2010 at 18:28
Renegade looks like a lot of fun. Since it's new, it's likely a lot smoother than most woodies out there too. One day I'll make it out to Valleyfair and Mall of America in one of my coaster trips.
Thanks for the comment Jason.
February 22, 2010 at 02:40
good idea.
February 21, 2010 at 07:31
You know for me I can't dicide, so I will call it a tie. Steel gives more hight and speed AND invertions. They are also smoother. Tt also can do more things like launch. Wood, on the other hand, can't go as high, or as fast, but gives you more of the feeling that your going to fly off the track or that the rides going to break, which can make you feel like your going faster than you really are. I don't think people do as much with wood than they can though, like I'm pretty sure they could launch a woodie. So I think I'm going to have to break the steel streak, and call it a tie.
February 21, 2010 at 15:46
so it`s an 8.5 for steel & 0.5 for wood. Good reasoning Tom, it`s good to see that wood still has it`s supporters.
February 22, 2010 at 12:33
i got florida, everything 2-3 hours north of me!
May 28, 2010 at 08:22
I'm going to be different than all of you and go with WOOD! I just think that no steel coaster can match up to the feel and personality of a woodie. And, well, for those of you who complain about roughness, you have El Toro.
August 22, 2011 at 11:42
Definitely steel, no question. Steel can launch, do many types of inversions, have 90 and 90+ degree drops, have 90 degree lifts, go 300 and even 400 feet tall, etc. Also, steel has much more types: Inverted, Floorless, Flying, Stand up(even though I hate those and would take a woodie over stand up), B&M hyper seating, etc. Wood only has traditional and flying turns. I cant believe any one would actually pick wood over steel, unless that wood is a pre-fab or the steel is an arrow looper or stand up. Steel rocks!
February 16, 2012 at 01:59
I would definitely say steel but a part of my reasoning is that I've never been to a park that had a great wooden roller coaster. The Beast and Mean Streak were decent in their younger days but both will rupture your pancreas now. Blue Streak is a decent older woodie as was The Big Dipper at Geauga Lake, but neither is stellar. The Jack Rabbit at Kennywood was okay. The best one I can remember being at in the Ohio/PA territory is the Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake, but I'm sure it's lost some of it's luster as that park has…Apocalypse at Magic Mountain probably the best woodie I've ever ridden but it doesn't come close to most of the steel coasters I've ridden.
October 28, 2012 at 15:59
Hands down, steel is the winner.
January 24, 2013 at 17:37
ROLLER COASTER SUCK
January 24, 2013 at 17:38
I agree with Phil
January 24, 2013 at 17:39
Dont you mean ROLLER COASTERS SUCK…they do I agree
January 24, 2013 at 17:40
I AGREE WITH PHIL SO MUCH
January 24, 2013 at 17:40
I know only stupid people enjoy roller coasters!
January 25, 2013 at 14:17
…That's hurtful…jk
But is it really necessary to act like 5 different people to simply say that you don't like roller coaster's?
January 24, 2013 at 17:41
TOM WAS HERE
February 2, 2013 at 13:07
Oh wait…they do suck…I agree
January 24, 2013 at 21:03
In my book there is no official winner. One is not always better than the other. Steel is innovative, fast, intense but wood can still deliver the same fun and thrills. I don't care what you might think. The purpose of a coaster is to please the crowd, provide memories, and make say "Wow" when you get off. Wood has just the potential to do this as steel. It all depends on how the coaster is designed and built. I feel like wood is misused by manufacturers sometimes. If built the right way, wood can be just as good as steel.
El Toro
The Voyage
Thunderhead
Boulderdash
the list goes on…
So please don't hate on wood just because it doesn't go 400ft in the air at 120mph.
Sorry, I had to get that off my chest.
April 13, 2013 at 17:51
while steel is more intense and obviously more popular i feel that woodies have a lot more character and are more fun to ride if your not worrying about massive drops and as a side note i think woodies have a lot of potential companies are just too scared too get sued. like son of beast was the only woodie hypercoaster even though it was more than a decade ago