The Coaster Critic's Blog

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.

SheiKra vs. Griffon: Dive Coaster Showdown
Comparisons between America's two dive coasters, Busch Gardens Africa's SheiKra and Busch Gardens Europe's Griffon are inevitable. From the time Busch announced Griffon's details enthusiasts the debate began.

Theming
Busch did an excellent job integrating Griffon into New France. The station, landscaping, and shops of were all complete when I visited BGE not long after Griffon opened. I liked how Griffon had its own section in New France. The splash section was off to the side unlike at BGA where SheiKra's splash spilled over to the main pathway through Stanleyville. They are both themed well and integrated into the parks well. But I give the slight edge to Griffon.
Edge: Griffon

The Drop
The drops on both of the coasters are insane. It's a twenty-story drop at a staggering 90-degrees. Griffon's is slightly taller at 205 feet versus SheiKra's 200 feet. While the 5 foot difference in height is negligible, the bridge you pass under at the bottom of the Griffon's drop gives a decent arm chopper effect. Edge: Griffon

Loops
Both roller coasters feature Immelmann loops. An Immelmann is a simultaneous loop and roll, the named after a World War I German flying ace who invented the maneuver. SheiKra offers one 165-foot tall Immelmann while Griffon's has two Immelmanns, the largest of which is 146-feet tall. Believe it or not, you really can feel the difference between the loops. The highlight of SheiKra for me was its extreme Immelmann where the track goes straight up for what feels like a long time before inverting and finishing the maneuver. I prefer SheiKra's extra-large loop, but Griffon has two loops. It's a tough call.
Edge: SheiKra

Verdict
To be fair I only rode SheiKra once and I got three rides on Griffon. I think the airtime on Griffon gives it the edge over SheiKra. The two loops and passing under the bridge further help Griffon's case. But they're both great coasters.
Winner: Griffon

Which dive coaster do you prefer SheiKra or Griffon. What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Twin Peaks: Kingda Ka vs. Top Thrill Dragster
One of the most common comparisons in enthusiastland involves the two tallest and fastest roller coasters on Earth. It's like Everest and K2. They are very similar strata coasters that launch riders from 0 to 100+ miles per hour in a matter of seconds. They both take riders over 400 feet into the air only to send them spiraling back down to Earth.

Since Six Flags Great Adventure's Kingda Ka was built second, it bested Top Thrill Dragster's 420' peak by 36 feet and added a second 129' hill. Thanks to a rainy day at Cedar Point, Top Thrill Dragster closed before I was able to ride it. So I really can't give a clear cut winner from my ride experience. But I'll compare and contrast what I've observed of the two rides.

Theming the Sky Scrapers
Kingda Ka's Golden Kingdom is nice, but Top Thrill Dragster's dragster-inspired trains, station, and observation area take the cake.
Edge: Top Thrill Dragster

A View from a Hill
On a clear day you can see New York City and Philadelphia from the top of Kingda Ka. TTD's view of Lake Erie and Canada(!) is probably more memorable.
Edge: Top Thrill Dragster

Ride Experience
Again, the rides are pretty similar and I seriously doubt the additional 18 feet on Kingda Ka's drop is perceptible. Ditto for the heights at about 42-stories and 45-stories and the speeds at 120 mph and 128 mph. Kingda Ka does boast that second hill which does offer some airtime in certain seats.
Edge: Kingda Ka

Verdict
You decide! I'm sure some of my readers have ridden both Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster. Which ride gave more airtime on the top hat, felt faster or smoother? Which did you just enjoy more? Leave a comment below.

Two B&M Hyper Coasters Go Head-to-Head in the First Edition of Roller Coaster Showdown

Bolliger & Mabillard's critically acclaimed hyper coasters are tall, airtime-packed, modern thrill rides. This week, I'll be pitting Busch Gardens Europe's Apollo's Chariot against Six Flags Great Adventure's Nitro.

Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure
-Nitro boasts a taller first drop (215'). It's the 9th largest America.
-The fourth hill is a hammerhead turn more than 100' in the air. (Seen here.)
-Nitro has an S-curve and a tight upward helix. Nitro has more of a flying in the air feeling" than Apollo's "closer to the ground" layout.

Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Europe
-Apollo's Chariot's lift hill is only 170' tall, but it offers a 210' drop to the surface of the Rhine River.
-Apollo's third drop features a swooping decent resulting in the train skimming the ground. Great for those riding on the left side of the train.
-AC is packed with airtime, especially on the series of bunny hills on the trip back to the station.

Edge: The edge goes to Apollo's Chariot for its relentless amount of airtime on pretty much every hill. Not only are riders treated to an insane number of drops, but they also experience airtime (being lifted out of your seat).

Which coaster would you pick in this week's Coaster Showdown? Do you have suggestions for next week's edition? Leave a comment below.