My favorite roller coaster of all time was The Beast at Kings Island in Ohio. I’ve easily ridden it in the 3 digits.
Around 2013 or so they added additional braking to 2 parts of the ride where you used to blast through a huge helix and get pinned into your seat. One of the parts was at the end and it ruined my favorite part of the ride.
Still love The Beast but it will always be a lesser version of what I rode as a kid.
I also remember hurting my back on the Son of Beast. That was back when it had the loop. In my opinion the loop was the only good part of that ride.
I also got to ride the Diamondback on opening day. I still have my first rider tshirt i got that day.
I agree that those magnetic trims ruin the flow. It actually doesn’t go any slower than it did before but it really does feel like it because of how abrupt those brakes hit. I know magnetic trims save a lot of maintenance but I would love it if they went back to the friction trim brakes.
I’m curious what year you rode SoB. I rode it opening year (possibly 2nd year) and I absolutely loved every moment of it. I know that it tore it’s self apart quickly which was the biggest reason why they got the new lighter trains (which led to the removal of the loop since they couldn’t make it through it). I don’t doubt it was getting bad.
If i had to guess it was maybe 2006. I think i rode it once with the loop and once without and didn’t like it either time. But that was just me. Its been a long time but i remember it feeling like the train poked me right under the shoulder blade.
I may have liked it if i rode it more than twice but i hurt myself the first ride and never really wanted to go again.
Also i cant believe that it isn’t any slower especially the final part with the 2 tunnels back to back. It feels so much slower.
By 2006 I could certainly see it being a disaster. It wasn’t built well and I think that was around the time that they replaced the trains because it was tearing it’s self apart especially since someone (lumber company, RCCA, etc) slipped in low quality wood instead of what it was supposed to be.
As for beast, yea, I agree… it feels a lot slower but it’s a mental thing. The exit speed from the brakes is the same but since the magnetic brakes shave the speed off of the train so abruptly your mind translates it into slowing down… the old friction brakes shaved the speed slowly so you didn’t really notice it. It’s basically the same as riding in a car and the driver is gently applying the brakes and you don’t even realize that you’re slowing down vs hitting the brakes harder because someone pulled out in front of them. I do think there may have been some reprofiling that went on with the helix that probably also took away some of the lateral G force so that would also contribute to the slower feeling if that’s the case.
That’s super interesting. I remember hearing rumors about the low quality wood but i didn’t know it was true.
As for the Beast yeah it definitely feels slower but its probably just because I was so used to the way it was before. I even noticed the roaring sound in the tunnel being quieter which i guess could be from better wheels or a smoother track rather than lack of speed.
Yes the low quality wood is a point of contention and I don’t think we have a clear picture of who did it. Paramount paid for higher quality wood and it seems like the lumber company gave RCCA the low quality wood. Rumor was that RCCA tried to sue the lumber company but the lumber company had gone out of business before the lawsuit was filed. Paramount then sued RCCA over the ride but regardless the bottom line was the coaster was just not going to survive without essentially a rebuild and after the accidents that happened cedar fair (who inherited the mess) just had to cut their losses. There is a really good Defunctland about SoB that is well worth the watch. I don’t think it goes too deep into the lumber issue but it covers A LOT.
Great video. Thanks for the recommendation. Montel announcing the Son of Beast at that event was hilarious.
I remember having this book as a kid too. I was obsessed. Lol.
Oh wow I never even realized that book existed
I’ve been on way too many coasters but one of my most memorable rides was when I was 8 and rode the brand new Raging Wolf Bobs at Geauga Lake with my dad in an absolutely insane downpour of rain. That ride will always live with me.
Well shambhala at portaventura, spain. I tried the seat in the queue and fit fine, mainly to show the kids how the restraints work, it clamps your thighs on to the seat, no upper body. On the actual ride the leg restraint was a lot tighter, so much so that I couldn’t tense my muscle to move my leg, started getting numbness by the time it was over. Great rollercoaster, epic views, shame I couldn’t ride a second time.
This is so mainstream, but I love the incredicoaster. The take off is great and the loops and turns are just enough so I don’t feel sick by the end of it.
Cedar Point is a childhood favorite of mine!
I went with my kid last year, as he went on a school trip to a different park, went on a roller coaster, and had a craving for more.
First some reason, I had memories of the Raptor coaster, something very specific, but I couldn’t quite remember… something like “yes, but at the end you’ll–” but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what happened at the end to make it stick with me?
Then I went on it again as at adult. At the end, as we were pulling in, it happened: that jerk as it rounds the last corner: my head suddenly bounced off the harness like a pinball and I was left with a ringing headache when I got off. That’s what had made me remember it! LOL
Not my favorite coaster, but a classic, in my mind.
Rode almost all the coasters that day! Not more than a 10 minute wait on most, excluding the biggest ones.
What are you two’s favorites there?
Magnum XL is so headache-inducing & basic, but I can’t help but love it!
Really like the Millennium Force, too, but wasn’t able to ride it this trip as I was having spinal issues.
Unfortunately, my absolute favorite, the Mantis, was shut down permanently before I had a chance to ride it one last time. RIP sweet prince.
OH! I thought the Gatekeeper was really neat, too! But go on the cars closest to the water– I think that side is the best!
Not sure if you are aware but Rougarou is actually Mantis just with side down cars… but it was FAR better with the stand up trains and in it’s current state it’s one of the very few coasters that I’ll never ride again.
I love Magnum sooooooo freaking much!
Raptor is such a great coaster but that head bang that you talk about is something that becomes an issue with all of B&M’s inverted coasters with that type of restraint. They seem to get worse with age in the headbanging department. Still a coaster that I love to ride but not one that I can marathon. I think, for me, when it was new and I was in my teens that coaster always felt like it just kept getting better as the ride went on. Most coasters start running out of a steam by the end but Raptor was one of the first that used tighter turns and inversions to make it feel like it was going faster and faster even if it was slowing down.
