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Opinions on the best European coaster, and why

astead04

Roller Poster
I still don't get the appeal of nemesis, if it was built on flat ground with the same layout nobody would rate it ?. It's not really tall or long enough to warrant the hype, I guess that's my unpopular opinion lol.
Sorry to reply to all of your posts, but have you been doing your research? Alton Towers aren't allowed to build above the trees, so they have to build downwards and be a bit more creative in order to even be able to build anything good, and the fact that they still make great rides regardless of this is honestly amazing to me. I want more parks to build their coasters like that instead of making everything at least 200ft tall all the time (looking at you, American parks) even though of course you CAN build good rides like that.

We can definitely agree that Alton and Blackpool are way better than Drayton Manor though, right? Right?!
 

Jamesss

Hyper Poster
For me, Shambhala and Untamed are the clear winners, but I have yet to ride Taron.

Shambhala has the best floater airtime of any coaster I have ridden so far, and Untamed is just wild and relentless. It also has one of my new favourite coaster elements in that double inversion thing at the beginning.

I thought Helix and Wildfire were great but slightly overrated.
 

Hypercoaster_fan_uk

Roller Poster
Sorry to reply to all of your posts, but have you been doing your research? Alton Towers aren't allowed to build above the trees, so they have to build downwards and be a bit more creative in order to even be able to build anything good, and the fact that they still make great rides regardless of this is honestly amazing to me. I want more parks to build their coasters like that instead of making everything at least 200ft tall all the time (looking at you, American parks) even though of course you CAN build good rides like that.

We can definitely agree that Alton and Blackpool are way better than Drayton Manor though, right? Right?!
I'm well aware of the tree line limitations, they should plant some taller trees ?. No In all seriousness I can see the engineering that goes into the rides, I just wish they'd blasted an extra 50 feet down in places to give themselves more room, especially with air (galactica) it seriously lacks speed and could have done with some trenches to run through to get some more height.
 

astead04

Roller Poster
I'm well aware of the tree line limitations, they should plant some taller trees ?. No In all seriousness I can see the engineering that goes into the rides, I just wish they'd blasted an extra 50 feet down in places to give themselves more room, especially with air (galactica) it seriously lacks speed and could have done with some trenches to run through to get some more height.
Personally, I think TH13TEEN could have been more of a terrain coaster to make the feeling of pursuit and urgency more apparent in the outdoor coaster section. Also remove those trims.
 

Hypercoaster_fan_uk

Roller Poster
I've been saying that for years. Can't build above the treeline huh? Import a boat load of those 300ft sequoia trees from California, plant 'em round the perimeter of the park and slap a giga in there. Boom, job done.
Which manufacturer for the giga though, mack, intamin, or b&m
 

Marcus

Roller Poster
Out of the ones I've done the ones that stand out are:
  • Helix
  • Wodan (although need to ride again)
  • Nemesis
Shambhala I found good but not within that upper tier. Ones that I feel also stand a chance of being given the title of top coaster in Europe are:
  • Wildfire
  • Untamed
  • Taron
  • Karnan
  • Expedition GeForce
  • Piraten
  • Hyperion
Zadra will more than likely join that list, all ones I plan on getting on at some point, ticking two of them off in September.
 

mo237

Roller Poster
Taron, without a doubt. The sheer intensity of this ride is just crazy, and you don't know the definition of lateral forces until you've ridden it. Oh, and that theming is just top notch.
 

Chris Brown

Mr CoasterForce 2016
I’ve done Helix, Taron, Wildfire, Karnan, Hyperion and I rank them in that order. I could do with re riding Helix as my last was in 2016 but I’m sure it’ll still hold up.

Others to throw in the mix;

Nemesis - not my cup of tea
Katun - not my cup of tea
Ispeed - not a fan of the restraints

Not ridden;

Untamed
Shambhala
Taiga
Expedition GeForce
Colossos
 

Matt N

CF Legend
My personal thoughts on the European coasters that I think I would like most are sort of based on my present tastes and reviews of European coasters. So, here's my estimated top 5, in no particular order:
  • Shambhala at PortAventura Park
  • Helix at Liseberg
  • Taron at Phantasialand
  • Expedition GeForce at Holiday Park
  • Untamed at Walibi Holland
There are probably many other great rides I forgot to mention, but those are the main ones that appeal to me!
 

Snoo

The Legend
From an outside perspective, Taron followed by Wildfire and Untamed then Nemmy. Given my love for what I've been on (plus already been on Wildfire), that seems about right.
 

Mushroom

Goon of the Year
Look at my signature, but put Helix in the top spot (for now at least)

Sent from my small tapping device...
 

Luca B

Mega Poster
Out of what I have ridden I would say Kärnan, however I could see Lech or Untamed top it based off of what I like as Untamed firstly is an RMC and it looks to be really aggressive and have some really strong airtime, and Lech looks to be really forceful and aggressive. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Taron or Wildfire, while I still love both coasters I would say that they don’t contend for best in Europe.
 

Benenen

Hyper Poster
Wildfire is king for me, the elements in the first half are just so absurd that no other coaster has as much excitement and wow factor.

Shambhala comes next, I get that it rides inconsistenly based on the temperature and operations but on a hot summers night on two trains this thing flies. Glass smooth and the speed hill is possibly my favourite moment of airtime ever.

Helix rounds out the top three, it lacks the trippiness of Wildfire or the scale of Shambhala but it's such a solid coaster, it does everything it sets out to do perfectly.

In terms of the rest, Taron is amazing but there's a few dead spots and Hyperion has a killer layout but jackhammers round it in certain seats. I think for some people Lech will be up there but it wasn't quite my kinda thing compared to what I've mentioned, still fantastic though.
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
Well my opinions are in my sig. But in terms of the popular opinion, it could be my imagination, but for sheer numbers, it seems to me that generally it’s been a Team Taron Vs Team Helix battle for a couple of years, with Wildfire muscleing in too. Obviously there are lots of people who have different favs, but they seem to be the 2 with the biggest following.

I think it’s soon to become a battle of the RMCs. Honestly I prefer Untamed’s layout to the predicted Zadra layout, but POVs, expecially predicted POVs, mean nothing, and Zadra has the height and speed, so we’ll have to wait and see.
 

Satanspropaganda

Mega Poster
Easily Taron, however Nemesis and the Smiler hold soft spots for me, on 40+ rides on both and still not bored of them! Taron just floored me, looking forward to Untamed next month though, hoping it joins the ranks
I also remember really enjoying "Tonnerre de Zeus" years ago at Parc Asterix, found it to be such a blast, however it's been 10 years so my memory is a little hazy of it
 
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