People around the globe flock to amusement parks every year for that one big thrill – riding the biggest, fastest and most impressive coasters.
Think you have the guts to take on world’s top roller coasters? These 12 big rides push the limits of what the body can handle, and you’ll love every second of it..
- THE VOYAGE
The journey begins with a 163-foot climb up a traditional lift hill. That ranks as the world’s sixth tallest wood coaster. And it makes for a spectacular 154-foot drop world’s fifth longest at a nerve-wracking 66 degrees quite steep for a woodie and a top speed of 67 mph world’s fourth fastest. As it soars up its second hill, The Voyage delivers its first dose of airtime, that glorious out-of-your-seat sensation that coaster fans can’t get enough of.
- STEEL DRAGON 2000
This coaster at Nagashima Spa Land Amusement Park in Mie prefecture, Japan, boasts the longest track length on the planet: a mighty 8,133 ft. (2,479 m). A skyscraper itself, Steel Dragon 2000 rises up 318 feet and begins with a 306-foot drop that accelerates the trains to 95 mph. The total ride experience lasts about four minutes in which time thrill-seekers will have covered over a mile and a half of steel track.
- EL TORO
At 176 feet, El Toro’s first drop is among the longest for a wood coaster in the U.S. Its 70-mph top speed makes it among the fastest wood coasters anywhere as well. At the time of its debut in 2006, its 76-degree angle of descent was the steepest for any wood coaster. Hence, the screams. The first drop is immediately followed by three substantial hills of 112 feet, 100 feet, and 84 feet. This generated wild, prolonged, floater airtime (that giddy butterflies-in-your-stomach sensation that coaster fans crave). Even with my lap bar cinched tightly, the airtime was glorious.
- KINGDA KA
When this ride opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J, it wrested the title of tallest and fastest roller coaster from the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point. You’ll leave the station going from 0 to 128 miles per hour in a jaw-dropping 3.5 seconds. Actually, there won’t even be time for your jaw to drop. You’ll be shooting up that impossible height so fast, you won’t even have time to think, so just hang on. It’s 90° straight up. And once you get to the top you’ll be plummeting right back down in a 270-degree spiral that is not recommended for wimps.To put that in perspective, it reaches 128 m.p.h. in the time it took you to read the words can reach a speed of 128 m.p.h. in 3.5 seconds. The entire ride takes just 59 seconds, what you do with the remaining second of the most exciting minute of your life is up to you.
- WICKED TWISTER
Wicked Twister is a second generation steel Inverted Impulse roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. As of now, it is the tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster in the world. Cedar Point’s Wicked Twister is the tallest, fastest “double-twisting” impulse roller coaster. LIM section riders blast out of the station at 50 miles per hour, gradually increasing it’s speed to a top speed of 72 MPH. Following a U-shaped track with twin 215-foot, 450-degree twisting towers, Each ride launches out of the station five times, where three forward and two backward.
- COLOSSOS
At a height of 60 meters, ‘‘Colossos’’ is the highest wooden roller coaster in Europe and significantly higher than its ancient forebear on the Greek island of Rhodes. This ride is gigantic. Belt yourself into your seat and get set to hit the rails from a height of 60 meters. Top speeds of 110 km/h are in the realm of the possible! This ride has a totally smooth feel to it. Like taking a ride on a hovercraft. And when you hit the steepest curve from 60 meters up in the air you’ll think you are flying. This is a ‘must’ for all coaster fans.
- TOP THRILL DRAGSTER
Top Thrill is an Intamin accelerator coaster, and the worlds second tallest coaster. Lanches rides from Zero to 120 MPH in less than 4 seconds and up a 420-foot tower, then quickly back down while twisting 270 degrees to the right. A few seconds later, you’re 420 feet in the air. In the race for pure adrenaline thrills, there is one winner: Top Thrill Dragster. Nothing else compares to this high-horsepower shot into the sky. From a standing start you’re launched forward, then straight up, then straight down and back to the finish line. The ride may be over in 17 seconds, but it’ll stay with you forever.
- TOWER OF TERROR II
The Tower of Terror II, Australia, the ride is 4th in the tallest roller coaster rankings, 3rd in the tallest roller coaster drop rankings and 4th in the fastest roller coaster rankings. Up to 14 riders at a time are electro-magnetically accelerated to 160.9 kilometres per hour in seven seconds along the extended, 206-metre (676 ft) launch tunnel. The track then pitches up 90 degrees to the vertical, with the passengers pulling 4.5Gs. Riders are weightless during the entire vertical section of the ride for about 6.5 seconds, 3.25 seconds going up and 3.25 seconds falling back down. The car then pitches back down to horizontal and enters the tunnel where an on-ride camera takes photographs of riders. The vehicle continues to hurtle back into the station where it comes to a fairly rapid stop.
- VOLCANO, The Blast Coaster
Volcano, The Blast Coaster, Virginia, the world’s first inverted roller coaster to feature an LIM (linear induction motor) and is the only one of its kind that completes a full circuit. The train then moves into its first of two launch tracks, which accelerates the train to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). After making a sweeping 200-degree turn behind the mountain, the train enters the second launch tunnel, followed by a vertical section ending in a “roll out” element. The “roll out”, similar to a sidewinder, is essentially a vertical section of track followed by a quarter loop to bring the train completely upside down, then a loose half-corkscrew. Volcano has been one of the more popular rides in the park.
10. FORMULA ROSSA
Formula Rossa is an Intamin launched roller coaster located at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Rossa is the world’s fastest roller coaster with a top speed of 240 km/h. That, coaster fans, is fast. Formula Rossa accelerates from 0 to 100 km (62 miles) in 2 seconds, climbs 52m (171 feet), and generates 1.7 Gs. It is so intense, passengers are issued goggles to protect their eyes. The ride starts inside the indoor theme park, accelerates through the dome, travels outside the park, and returns to the loading station inside the building. You’ll launch 52 meters into the sky before flying through chicanes inspired by some the world’s most famous race tracks.
11. THE TAKASHIBA
Takabisha, Japan. It is famous for having a drop angle of 121°, The 3,300 ft ride begins with a sudden drop into pitch black darkness before entering a slow heartline roll. In just two seconds, the car is launched by linear motors down a 63-metre long tunnel to a speed of 100 kilometres per hour. The ride is slowed on a set of block brakes and returns into the station building. The track then turns a sharp 180° turn to the right before going back out of the building and onto the vertical chain lift hill. This hill takes riders up to a height of 43 metres. Once at the top, the car slowly inches towards the record-breaking 121°, beyond-vertical drop. Once the car is released from the top of the hill, it hurtles back down towards the ground and enters a dive loop, an inline loop and finally the seventh inversion, an immelmann loop. The whole ride is over within 2 minutes. The steepest coaster in the world. This roller coaster has been listed as the world’s steepest roller coaster by the Guinness Book of World Records.
12. FULL THROTTLE
Full Throttle, California. The train is launched from 0 to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) using one of the three linear synchronous motor out of the station into the record-breaking 160-foot-tall vertical loop. Riders then enter into a high-banked curve to the right and then another to the left as they approach the second inversion, a dive loop. This inversion drops down into a tunnel previously used for the park’s monorail system, where the train comes to a halt.The train is then launched backwards out of the tunnel and partially up the dive loop. Once it loses its backward momentum, the train returns forward into the tunnel and is launched out of the tunnel and straight into a high-G turn to the left. Riders then go up the top hat that is located on top of the loop. Riders drop from the hill and reach the brake run before entering a 180-degree turn to the left back into the station. Duration of the 2,200 foot ride is under one minute. The world’s tallest vertical loop at 160 feet. It is also the first roller coaster to feature a top-hat element on a loop.
*Nothing makes you feel young again like soaring down a steep drop on a roller coaster or hobbling away from a thrill ride. Terrify your inner child on one of these top scary roller Coaster Rides.. If you dare.. !!
– PRATIKSHA TRIVEDI
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