I rode all 3 of the Paramount stand ups (all Togo’s) and loved them all. I only was on SkyRider once or twice in a single visit but the other 2 (King Cobra and Shockwave) I rode numerous times. They all were great and put B&M’s stand ups to shame (save possibly Pipeline) mainly because of the restraints.

I’ve got quite a few but here’s my top 20:

#1 - Volcano - King’s Dominion

#2 - Riverside Cyclone (Pre-2001) - Riverside Park

#3 - Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point

#4 - Blue Streak - Conneaut Lake Park

#5 - Son of Beast - King’s Island

#6 - Big Dipper - Geauga Lake

#7 - Batman and Robin: The Chiller - Six Flags Great Adventure

#8 - Rolling Thunder - Six Flags Great Adventure

#9 - The Villain - Geauga Lake

#10 - Disaster Transport - Cedar Point

#11 - Raging Wolf Bobs - Geauga Lake

#12 - Laser Loop - Kennywood

#13 - Wildcat - Hersheypark

#14 - T3 - Kentucky Kingdom

#15 - Mad Mouse - Lakemont Park

#16 - Vortex - King’s Island

#17 - King Cobra - King’s Island

#18 - Firehawk - King’s Island

#19 - Skyrider - Canada’s Wonderland

#20 - Mean Streak - Cedar Point

Agreed. I thought it was important to add the entering the restricted area when I made the post. Their headline isn’t as egregious as most media coverage but certainly leaves out important context.

Scare headline?

Oh wow I never even realized that book existed

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.

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.

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.

It should be the park that calls 911 if it’s required though. Often times the PLC will refuse to open without an override which is something that maintenance is usually required to do (to keep normal ride ops from making critical mistakes).

This was meant to be a reply to another comment… still learning a new Android app.

It does feel like we’ve known about it forever 😂

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!

I suspect the Marvel stuff will be at Islands of Adventure for many years to come. It is a Disney IP now but Universal has an ongoing license to use it.

Super Nintendo World is a land at the new park, Epic Universe, that isn opening next year.

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.

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.