Re: Mitch Hawker Wood Coaster Poll 2012
Mike said:
Joey said:
I don't understand how Boulder Dash is in the top 5.
Because you seem to be the only person (or, at the most, one of the very few) in the world who doesn't enjoy it?... Or were you asking a rhetorical question? :?
I don't think there's too many surprises this year, and especially the top 20 looks like a very strong list of coasters. A few 'interesting' choices for what's inside the top 50 in my opinion, but really anything below the top 20 is a big ball of 'meh' to me.
I've updated the first post to include the results.
There's plenty of people who don't get the big fuss. Let's not misunderstand my opinion of Boulder Dash - it's one of the greats, but it's not one of the exceptional ones. For comparison's sake, let's look at my top 10...
Ravine Flyer II Waldameer
Thunderhead Dollywood
The Voyage Holiday World
El Toro SFGAd
The Beast Kings Island
Lightning Racer - L Hersheypark
Lightning Racer - T Hersheypark
Balder Liseberg
Boulder Dash Lake Compounce
Phoenix Knoebel's
See, I place it high, but like you say anything under 20 ain't really worth talking about, except in its own terms.
I have a theory as to why Boulder Dash is so highly rated. Most enthusiasts visit that park in the evening when the park isn't a ripoff, when the ride is running it's best. Combine that with the same overrating that most of those "quaint" parks get, especially in the USA, or obscure parks in strage locations get, and bam. Phoenix gets the same treatment, and the only reason I'm a little less impressed with Phoenix is I think it's on a dirty margine between uncomfortableness and insanity, has poor flow and the ride varies so massively in quality between rides I can't take it seriously. I like to think I look at those parks and their good, but comparatively meh, coasters objectively. I think most people don't, in all honesty, and get carried away by the idea of the park and it's rides. Kennywood is another park that really shouldn't even be given the light of day, but for some reason it and it's collection of not just meh, but TERRIBLE woodies get no end of praise. I'll take criticism of my placement of Beast, because it's actually poor by critical standards, but the ride is genuinely good fun, terrifying, interesting and deserves placement in with the rest of the exceptional rides above it because it's as enjoyable as the rest of them.
Let's give some context to my Boulder Dash experience. A group of CF members rode it says prior and were mostly kind of unimpressed by it. Jerry said it was running the worst he'd ever experienced it. We had no contact with the rest of CF and had not heard this when we rode, andu unfortunately had to ride it in the day time, but the 4 in our group were all of the same opinion. Confusion... This... Isn't that great? I rode it 3 times to try and find the greatness, but no where was the out of control feeling I was promised. It was slow and the airtime was minimal at best. Even if that was Boulder Dash riding badly, I can't see how it could ever be exceptional. It just doesn't do anything. Even if all the forces and speed was exaggerated, the track doesn't
do anything.
I like the out of control woodies that dance about and surprise you, that's why the likes of Phoenix just doesn't excite me that much.