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» coasterology 101
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What is a Terrain Roller Coaster?
Terrain roller coasters use the natural layout of the land that they’re built on. Often they use a ravine or cliff for their drops. They can be any type of roller coaster from the steel flying coaster Tatsu to the wooden coaster Boulder Dash. These types of roller coasters have been around for many years and I don’t really know of a defining first terrain roller coaster. While there m...
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The End of the Record Breaking Roller Coaster Era
Have We Seen the Last of the True Record Breaking Roller Coasters? The recent announcement that Ferrari Experience’s F1 Coaster will be capable of 150 mph had me thinking. While this would be a record setting roller coaster, officials from the park said that they might actually operate it at lower speeds. This begs the question: Are we reaching the limits of roller coaster thrills? As part o...
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Theme Parks with the Most Roller Coasters
Theme Parks with the Most Roller Coasters RollerCoasterDude asked for a list of the theme parks with the most roller coasters. I figured this would pretty easy to do and interesting so I threw together my first stab at a list based on RCDB’s numbers. This includes roller coasters that are set to open in 2010, like in the case of Intimidator at Carowinds. If I’m missing any parks, pleas... -
Busch Gardens Roller Coaster Tour Part 1
Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Roller Coaster Tour Part 1: Loch Ness Monster & How Coasters Work 101 If you’re a roller coaster geek like myself, or just curious about how roller coasters work, Busch Gardens Roller Coaster Tour is for you. It gives unparalleled access to the these modern thrill machines as well as a ton of interesting tidbits of knowledge about Busch’s own co...
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Countries with the Most Theme Parks
As we celebrate our independence don’t forget to also celebrate our dominance with regards to roller coasters. There are some amazing roller coasters throughout the globe, so I wouldn’t say that the U.S. is home to the best especially without experiencing any of them myself. But in terms of sheer numbers, by far, the United States has the most roller coasters of any country in the Wor...
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What is a Mine Train Roller Coaster?
Mine train roller coasters have been around for many years. They are defined by simulating an out of control mine cart or Old West locomotive train. They are made of steel and most are tame enough to be classified as family roller coasters. Common elements include: multiple lift hills, short gently slopping curved drops, helices, and tunnels. The first mine train roller coaster was Runaway Min... -
What is a 4th Dimension Roller Coaster?
4th dimension roller coasters position riders on either side of the track rather than above or below it. The seats spin on a horizontal axis. There are only a handful in the world, but they are easily the most insane and intimidating roller coasters around. Arrow/S&S 4th Dimension Roller Coasters Six Flags Magic Mountain’s X was the first 4th dimension roller coaster when it opened in 2... -
What is a Stand-Up Roller Coaster?
What is a Stand-Up Roller Coaster? Stand-up roller coasters are steel roller coasters designed so that the riders stand during the course of the ride. Riders straddle a bicycle-like seat that adjusts for the riders height and are restrained by over-the-shoulder restraints. They are very similar to seated looping coasters and some roller coasters designed for sit-down trains have also added stand-u... -
What is a Bobsled Roller Coaster?
What is a Bobsled Roller Coaster?Bobsled roller coasters feature trackless chutes that are essentially a pipe with the top half removed. The half pipes do not have fixed tracks so the bobsleigh-like cars move freely on the tracks as if they were sliding on ice like in a real bobsled course. Today, most bobsled coasters are made of steel, but originally they were made of wood and known as Flying Tu... -
What is a Wild Mouse Roller Coaster?
Wild Mouse Coasters Are Fun For All AgesAt first glance wild mouse roller coasters look like boring ‘kiddie’ rides. They’re typically no taller than 40 or 50 feet with mild speeds that top out at about 30 mph. Unlike most roller coasters that use trains with several cars, wild mouse coasters run single cars that seat four riders (two in front and two in back). Wild mouse coasters... -
What is a Water Roller Coaster?
What is a Water Roller Coaster?Water coasters have effectively blurred the line between roller coasters and water rides. In recent years, Mack and other builders have constructed several water coasters around the U.S. and the World. Water coasters are typically steel coasters with large boat-like cars (reminiscent of log flumes) and water splash sections. They add a new level of fun for riders com... -
What is a Shuttle Roller Coaster?
What is a Shuttle Roller Coaster? A shuttle roller coaster is any roller coaster which does not make a complete circuit, but instead reverses and travels the track backwards. Some of the first shuttle coasters were the King Kobra at Kings Dominion (1977 – 1986) and Black Widow at Riverside Park (1977 – 1999). Early shuttle coasters featured a solo vertical loop. Because of their size a... -
What is a Suspended Roller Coaster?
What is a Suspended Roller Coaster?Suspended coasters were the next level in the steel coaster evolution in the 1980’s. Designers wanted to offer a different ride experienceArrow introduced the Bat at Kings Island as the first modern suspended roller coaster. It opened in 1981 and closed only a few years later due to numerous mechanical problems. In 1984, the legendary Big Bad Wolf was born ... -
What is a Floorless Coaster?
What is a Floorless Coaster? Floorless roller coasters first appeared on the scene with Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure in 1999. The steel seated looping coaster’s seven loops had been seen before, but it’s completely open train design was a first. Floorless trains (pictured to the right on Hydra) further enhance the rider’s sense of freedom, or fear depending on how you vie... -
What is a Flying Coaster?
What is a Flying Coaster? Wilbur and Orville Wright had the right idea, but if you really want to experience flight first-hand look no further than one of the ten flying coasters in the U.S. Flying coasters are steel roller coasters where riders are secured in a face down flying position with the track overhead. There are several different designers and the loading is done in a variety of ways. C... -
What is a Dive Coaster?
What is a Dive Coaster?Ever been intimidated by how steep a drop looked on a roller coaster? Imagine staring literally straight down at a twenty-story drop. Dive coasters are steel roller coasters offering drops of 90-degrees or nearly 90-degrees. So far, Bolliger & Mabillard have cornered the market on these extreme drop coasters. In 1998, they opened the world’s first coaster with a n... -
What is an Inverted Coaster?
What is an Inverted Coaster? Throughout the 80’s and into the 90’s, steel coasters and loops (also known as inversions) were all the rage. Coaster designers were busy trying to find new ways turn riders upside-down. In 1992, genius Swiss designers Bolliger and Mabillard shocked the industry with the world’s first inverted coaster, Batman The Ride at Six Flags Great America. On in... -
What is a Hyper Coaster?
Back in 1989, Cedar Point opened Magnum XL-200. It was the tallest coaster in the world at 205′. More important than setting a new height record, it started a whole new trend in coaster design. Up to that point steel coasters were solely looping coasters. The oneupmanship between parks was to build the coaster with the most loops. Magnum had no loops, just enormous hills and drops that offer... -
What Is A Launch Coaster?
What is a Launch Coaster?Those clickety-clack chain lifts are a thing of the past. In case you haven’t been to a theme park in a decade or so, there’s a new way to power coasters. Launch roller coasters (also known as rocket coasters) use propulsion systems to generate speed as opposed to the traditional lift hill. It all started with the LIMs or linear induction motors on the Flight ...
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