No, this is not an April Fool’s joke. There are (exactly) three Top Stand Up Roller Coasters in the latest edition of Top 3 Thursdays.
After a reader requested I do a Top 3 Stand Up Coasters list for Top 3 Thursdays I thought to myself that I must have done one already. I hadn’t, and then I remembered why. There aren’t many stand up coasters and most of them are pretty bad or at least sub-par. So, doing a Top 3 Stand Ups List is kind of like doing a Top 3 McCauley Caulkin movies list. But, here goes:
3 – Georgia Scorcher at Six Flags Over Georgia
Georgia Scorcher is a bright yellow tangle of steel right near the entrance of Six Flags Over Georgia. It’s a little on the small side with only 2 loops (a vertical loop and a corkscrew) and a height that tops out around 100′ tall. To its credit, Scorcher’s diminutive size might help in reducing its roughness. It’s a good looking, fun ride, but probably nothing to write home about.
2 – Riddler’s Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Riddler’s Revenge is easily one of the best roller coasters out West. At 156′ tall it’s the largest stand up coaster in the World, but somehow Bolliger & Mabillard were able to make it forceful without punishing riders like Mantis at Cedar Point does. Riddler’s Revenge has six loops including: a vertical loop, two dive loops, an inclined loop, and two corkscrews.
1 – Chang Formerly at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Chang is, or should I say was, the smoothest and the best stand up roller coaster I’ve ridden. It has a very similar layout to Riddler’s Revenge with only a few differences. I loved my walk-on rides when it was at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Last fall, it was removed only to reappear in pieces at the Chicago area Six Flags Great America. Chicagoans should be excited as the ride’s rumored to make its re-themed debut in 2011. I gave Chang an 8.0 (Great) although it’s probably worthy of an 8.5. Read my full Chang review.
Best of the Rest of a Dying Breed?
There’s not really a best of the rest. Vortex at Carowinds is okay (for stand ups), Shockwave at Kings Dominion is rough and too short, and Mantis at Cedar Point is long, but even rougher. According to the Roller Coaster Database, there are only 14 stand up coasters currently in operation. There are also two notable coasters in storage. The aforementioned Chang which should reopen in 2011 and a rare Intamin stand up that was Batman The Escape at AstroWorld. It now sits in a field at Darien Lake. I’m not really sad to see that the stand up coaster trend has ended. It was a neat idea, but I find myself wishing that they just installed seated trains on most stand ups.
What’s Your Take?
What’s your take on stand up roller coasters? Do you have a favorite? Leave a comment below. Image 2 courtesy of CoasterImage.
April 1, 2010 at 11:40
i opverall don`t like the idea of stand-ups. if you made them intense, the forces would mae your legs ache, and after standing so long in a line, i doubt you`d want to do it there.
April 1, 2010 at 11:44
PS- the control bar on the bottom that you added is really cool, hey look, a bird!
April 3, 2010 at 03:02
april fools!
April 1, 2010 at 18:16
Exactly, Quil. It was a cool idea, but you king of run into a dead end when you want to make an intense, aitime filled ride.
April 3, 2010 at 03:03
well said tom.
April 1, 2010 at 12:53
Coaster Critic, I think you're slightly overestimating the roughness of the Mantis. I definitely agree that it is rough, but I'd choose to ride the Mantis any day over a Togo. As a side note, Chang is virtually a mirror image of the Mantis up until after the MCBR.
April 1, 2010 at 17:36
Saying that you'd rather ride Mantis over a TOGO coaster isn't saying a whole lot. I'd rather ride my daughter's tricycle than a TOGO. But seriously, the leg pain I felt on Mantis was pretty intense. I'm not sure why some people feel it and some don't, but I know that I'm not alone. I also don't know why Mantis is so much rougher than Chang when as you pointed out they're layouts are somewhat similar.
Thanks for the comment.
April 2, 2010 at 13:32
CC, the leg pain you felt, did you injure that leg or was the leg injured or weary when you rode Mantis? It could also be quite possible that you weren't in the restraints well enough.
April 3, 2010 at 03:05
wy is is mantis rougher?
April 2, 2010 at 13:30
The Stand-up coaster that I've ridden was exremely punishing and I had a bad experience with a power outage while riding it. B&M's Iron Wolf, their first ever coaster. A true landmark. If I only knew it was their first coaster when I rode it, I would've ridden it at least 10 times. As for the other stand-ups, I've heard that the TOGO ones are horrible (possibly because that all TOGO creates coasterwise is harshly reviewed). Riddler's Revenge is one that I've been wanting to ride. Possibly because the themeing starts after the Batman: Forever film (I hated the movie, but Jim Carrey made me watch it without puking) And I hope that the ride is better that the movie. Oh, CC I noted that you said that stand-up trains should be replaced with regular sit-down trains. Two reasons this woudn't work: I've heard that the tracks are specially calibrated for each type of train, and the probable fact that because the stand-ups have a unique type of loop-the inclined loop and that other trains coudn't take the stress to execute those manuvers but the stand-up trains could. Lousy theories, I know. Any other theroies?
April 3, 2010 at 03:12
theme parks dont want to pay for the change?
Pingback: Tweets that mention Top 3 Stand Up Roller Coasters | The Coaster Critic's Blog -- Topsy.com
April 2, 2010 at 16:57
I agree, Shockwave is HORRIBLE! But I doubt Chang is going to Great America. My bet is that it went there since it would cost less to move it there from Kentucky, they're going to fix it up with Iron Wolf parts (suggesting Iron Wolf is leaving), and then they'll send it to Great Adventure, which is Six Flags's Eastern Flagship park and is without a stand up coaster.
April 3, 2010 at 03:16
you m ay be right, six flags is prettey unpredictable.
June 11, 2011 at 20:58
The Green Lantern was ok, not nearly as intense as other coasters. Standing was cool at first and then my legs were in severe pain and I couldn't wait for the ride to be over. Is it just this stand up ride that causes this? Other people on the ride had the same painful experience as I did. It would have been ok if not for the pain. By the way SFGA now has a stand up coaster. There are too many excellent coasters there to waste your time on this one.
June 17, 2011 at 12:46
My home park Great America has one of the first stand-ups in the world Vortex. I've ridden it a few times though I just can't "stand it" anymore.
If you want to ride a rough stand-up not on this list, I would reccomend you to go in the front (doesn't matter which seat) and stick your head as far out as possible from the first drop to brakes. It helps a lot.
Remember to not bend your knees, stand-up straight to have a better experience.
June 17, 2011 at 12:50
From great reviews, I thought that Chang would have no problem going to Great Adventure. It is interesting that on Theme Park Insider they voted it a low 7/10.
June 21, 2011 at 14:37
Hey guys i have a new stand up use will love Sixflags Great Adventure put in a stand up Call Green Lanturn it is the big brother to the great Ridlers revenge smooth with a loop and corkscrew i loved the ride best stand up ive ever ridden.
August 11, 2011 at 11:08
I hate stand ups. Why cant they just install seats??? There is a great feeling in sitting down after a long wait for a coaster. With stand ups you cant do that. And they give very hurtful leg pain. And the restraints moving up and down to get to a right place makes the loading time worse than normal coasters.
October 2, 2011 at 16:26
I've now been on five of the B&M stand up coasters.
Riddler is my favorite. It would be perfect if the turn between the two corkscrews was more interesting.
Georgia Scorcher has the best consistency of any stand up layout (no dead spots). The first drop has good air time in the back row. In some ways it's a little better than Riddler, the stand up aspect works very well on this ride. It's unfortunate it's probably the last stand up coaster ever built since B&M really did a good job with this one.
Iron Wolf was OK, not as bad as its reputation suggests. I hope it's put together well at its new home in Maryland.
Mantis was bad, I don't think B&M calculated the curves correctly.
Vortex in California was the worst B&M I've been on and the only one I've ridden that I think should be scrapped.
I'd also vote to scrap the stand up at Kings Dominion, but since they just gave it a new paint job and a fancy sign I guess it will continue torturing riders for years to come. At least I-305 is my favorite coaster I've been on.
July 7, 2012 at 22:59
I think King Cobra is the Best Togo Stand-Up.
I have yet to be on any stand ups but from my family they say King Cobra is best