Review: Wooden Warrior at Quassy
In 2011, Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Connecticut added Wooden Warrior: a small, family-friendly coaster made by The Gravity Group. This addition was perfect for Quassy. The park already had a real “local park” kinda charm to it, and now it has a fantastic little wooden coaster to capture the attention of enthusiasts. Wooden Warrior is not only worth attention — it exceeds expectations and...[Read More]
Top 9 New Roller Coasters for 2017 – Part 2
Here are my top picks for the best new roller coasters opening in 2017. As I stated in Part 1, I decided to focus on North America. Again, let us know how you’d rank them in the comments. 5 – GaleForce at Playland’s Castaway Cove In Ocean City, New Jersey beach-goers will have more than just the waves and warm sun to look forward to. Playland’s Castaway Cove is set to open a comp...[Read More]
Looping Wooden Coaster Mine Blower Coming to Fun Spot America
Mine Blower to Open at Fun Spot America Fun Spot America’s Kissimmee Florida park will open a new wooden roller coaster called Mine Blower in 2017. The ride will be 82 feet tall, 2,256 feet long, and reach speeds of 48.5 mph. Most notably, Mine Blower will flip riders upside-down with a barrel roll loop; a very rare maneuver for a wooden coaster. What to Expect: A Wild, But Smooth Ride Given...[Read More]
Top 8 New Roller Coasters of 2014 – Part 2
The Best-Looking New Roller Coasters for 2014 I couldn’t close out my coaster critiquing career without one more roller coaster preview list. As I’ve done in years past, I’ll list which new roller coasters opening this year look the best based on what I know about them, the preview videos, and my past experiences with similar rides. Here’s part 2 of the best-looking new rol...[Read More]
POV Monday – The “High Five” Dueling Wooden Roller Coaster
If you ever find yourself in Wuhan, China make sure you stop by the Happy Valley amusement park there. There, you’ll find a ride they’ve dubbed “Dauling Dragon” which is a racing/dueling roller coaster with a unique element. At the crest of a hill, both trains are banked 90 degrees and turned toward each other. Riders with their hands in the air experience a near high five ...[Read More]
POV Monday – Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer
Waldameer’s Ravine Flyer II is one fun, action-packed ride. The terrain coaster has a breath-taking view of Lake Erie that’s followed by a trip across a four lane highway and back. Video Highlight The TPR crew said it best. See if you can catch the point in the ride were Ravine Flyer goes “90 Degrees!”. For more, read my review of Waldameer’s Ravine Flyer II. Check ou...[Read More]
The Longest Roller Coasters in the World
The 10 Longest Roller Coasters in the World Have You Ridden One of the Longest Roller Coasters in the World? This list of record-holders is among the most diverse from a geographic stand-point. Europe, Asia, and North America are all represented in this list of lengthy rides. I’ve ridden Fury 325, The Beast, Millennium Force, and The Voyage. All four were excellent rides; not just long for t...[Read More]
POV Monday – Video of The Voyage at Holiday World
The Voyage at Holiday World (Santa Claus, Indiana) is a massive, white-knuckle wooden roller coaster. It’s a relentless marathon of thrills from beginning to end that’s been consistently rated among the top wooden roller coasters in World. Outside of the coaster enthusiast community it may not be well-known, but it should be. Video Highlights The video below does a great job of showing...[Read More]
Hades 360 Looks Awesome! | Early Reviews
The Gravity Group has posted a new video of Hades 360 in action. The original Hades opened at Mt. Olympus in 2005 with the World’s longest underground tunnel. It was Gravity Group’s first roller coaster and a world-class ride that was in many top 10 lists; including mine. For 2013, the ride was re-tracked (70% to 90%), given Gravity Group’s own Timberliner trains and most notably...[Read More]
Top 8 New Roller Coasters of 2013 – Part 2
5th Annual List of the Most Anticipated New Roller Coasters of the Year Here’s the conclusion of this year’s top new roller coasters list including my top pick. Again, these are the coasters that I’d like to ride most based on how they look. In case you missed it, here’s Part 1 with coasters 5 through 8. 4 Hades 360 at Mt Olympus (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin) Hades is alread...[Read More]
Top 10 Wooden Coasters of 2012 – Coaster Poll Results
World’s Best Wooden Roller Coasters of 2012 | Coaster Poll Here’s the top ten wooden roller coasters in Mitch Hawker’s annual Internet Coaster Poll along with their places in the last poll: 2012 Top Ten Best Wooden Roller Coasters 1 El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey) Intamin (1st) 2 T Express at Everland(Korea) Intamin (2nd) 3 The Voyage at Holiday World (Indiana) Gravit...[Read More]
Mt Olympus Announces Looping Wooden Coaster Hades 360
It’s starting to look like looping wooden roller coasters are falling from the sky these days. Or should I say coming out of the woodwork? Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. Today, Mt. Olympus (Wisconsin Dells, WI) announced that they’ll be giving their Gravity Group-designed woodie, Hades an interesting overhaul. Next year it will boast a loop and a new over-banked turn as it will b...[Read More]