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Your Biggest Coaster Surprise?

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
What has been the coaster to surprise you the most? Like one that left you getting off absolutely blown away, not because of just how good it was, but because you didn't quite expect it to be.

For me this was simple: Avalanche at Timber Falls Adventure Park. I had heard nothing but bad things about this ride, with the exception of my friend Matt having it in his top ten wood. I knew the design was probably fine, as it's not only an S&S product but one designed by the man and legend Alan Schilke, but I seriously doubted that little putt putt course actually cared to maintain it.

I remember Connor and I rolling into Wisconsin Dells late and parking ten minutes to park close due to a few wrong turns on my end, setting our crap up as we rolled in, and then getting out and making a mad dash in Amazing Race style. We bought tickets and walked up to the ride to the sounds of rural Wisconsin at night, dotted by wildlife that sounded very different to the sounds we're used to in suburban southwestern Ohio. We got in the front of the train, a ride all to ourselves, and prepared for the worst...

This thing was IN-FREAKING-SANE!!!!! Could just be the Son of Beast survivor in both of us, but I didn't find it rough at all. Violent, yes, but not rough. It was a pretty simple idea: a bunch of airtime hills of varying intensities broken up by very sharp, very aggressive 90 degree turns. Skipping along and handling turns that felt like you were getting T-boned by a semi was awesome enough, but doing it at night, alone, and against those lovely rock formations was enough to absolutely blow me away. This is one of the greatest coasters ever built and everybody had told me I would hate it. It currently sits in my top twenty combined and top ten wood, it makes me sad that it's pretty much one of a kind, as I hear the sister coaster at Clementon is nothing like it and is legitimately bad.

Which coaster has surprised you the most?
 

ATTACKHAMMER

Strata Poster
Dodonpa at Fuji Q. I didn't really know what to expect and assumed for some reason that it would be quite uncomfortable. **** me it was good! The launch and then the crazy airtime on the top hat (RIP)!

Lost Gravity was also quite a shock! I expected good but the airtime was crazy and it is a fab little coaster.
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
Rollin' Thunder at OWA. Thought it was going to be either mediocre or awful. Turned out it was fantastic. Never would have guessed a Zamperla coaster in Alabama would be in my top 20.
 

Coaster Hipster

Giga Poster
New Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Paris was unexpectedly good :) Some quite exciting bits and a wild out-of-control feel throughout the layout. The ending section with a long fast slope in the dark is impressive too.
 
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GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
Viper Backwards SFGAm. The ride was already amazing, but turning it backwards is something else. Stronger air, more laterals, and even crazier than I ever imagined. Put it over Outlaw Run it was so good.

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Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
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Rollin' Thunder at OWA. Thought it was going to be either mediocre or awful. Turned out it was fantastic. Never would have guessed a Zamperla coaster in Alabama would be in my top 20.

I'm almost inclined to submit this as my biggest coaster surprise too. It's so surprising, that I don't even have to have ridden it.
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
I had heard so many people trash the relatively new Thunderbolt ride at Coney Island as terribly painful and jarring that I was expecting a nightmare. Instead, I found it to be a perfectly smooth and enjoyable ride. I had several ride tickets left, so I think I rode it five times in a row with no ill effects whatsoever. Now I'm not saying it was a great coaster that broke into my top twenty or anything, but I thought it was a lot of fun, and the whole time I was shaking my head and thinking, "I'm supposed to hate this."
 

Mrsupersonic8

Roller Poster
Yankee Cannonball, Canobie Lake Park. I was going into it expecting it to be about as rough as your typical woodie, but I was caught off guard by it's smoothness. It has to be the smoothest woodie I've ridden to date. Considering it's age, that's impressive; most woodies, even the smoothest ones, start to get rough after operating for a while.
 

KristofWB

Hyper Poster
I think that must be Pulsar in Walibi Belgium.

I think that I - just like half the world - was quite disappointed to find out that Walibi was going to add another shuttle coaster. The park was about to get a brand new rollercoaster after 15 years, and they choose to open a Mack Power Splash: a launched 'back-and-forth' watercoaster. The only things that kept me a little bit positive were the rides statistics; the first coaster in Belgium that had a decent height and a speed of over 90 kph.

However, when I rode Pulsar for the first time, it was like a complete surprise! Eventhough it might be the third shuttle coaster in the park, the experience while riding it is just completely different from aswell Cobra as Psyké Underground. The atmosphere around Pulsar is just amazing and the ride itself is amazing. The last two launches are really intense as you get thrown into your restraints pretty brutal. But in a good way. It packs alot of punch and the grand finale is super. Walibi Belgium has one of the wettest rapid rivers I have ever experienced, but Pulsar goes one step further. Riding it in the back, you get absolutely drenched!
 

CCF

Roller Poster
New Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Paris was unexpectedly good :) Some quite exciting bits and a wild out-of-control feel throughout the layout. The ending section with a long fast slope in the dark is impressive too.
Agreed man, riding with you someone who isn't the biggest Disney fan and seeing your reaction to its greatness also helped move this coaster up in my surprising coaster list even more.
 

sKrATcher

Roller Poster
This isn't a "huge" surprise, but I rode on Volcano for the first time ever yesterday. The little thing that surprised me was the camera being at the start of the ride upon the launch.
Not knowing what to expect, I'd say my expression shows I didn't know where the camera was!
Volcano = front row seat. It was the FIRST ride I ever went on at KD yesterday. volcano first ride.jpg
 
For me this was simple: Avalanche at Timber Falls Adventure Park. I had heard nothing but bad things about this ride, with the exception of my friend Matt having it in his top ten wood. I knew the design was probably fine, as it's not only an S&S product but one designed by the man and legend Alan Schilke, but I seriously doubted that little putt putt course actually cared to maintain it.

I remember Connor and I rolling into Wisconsin Dells late and parking ten minutes to park close due to a few wrong turns on my end, setting our crap up as we rolled in, and then getting out and making a mad dash in Amazing Race style. We bought tickets and walked up to the ride to the sounds of rural Wisconsin at night, dotted by wildlife that sounded very different to the sounds we're used to in suburban southwestern Ohio. We got in the front of the train, a ride all to ourselves, and prepared for the worst...

Are you on drugs, kiddo? If you like the coaster, fine, but that place does NOT maintain it otherwise the corners would not have broken my entire rib cage. Plus, the way it was a complete ghost town even midday shows how little money they probably make. Another thing that makes me think you're insane is you saying it's in rural Wisconsin. Like, what? It's in the middle of the strip in the Wisconsin Dells. You're making it sound like it's in the middle of the woods. That'd be like me saying the creds in Pigeon Forge are in rural Tennessee...

On another note, my surprises were Eejanaika, Fujiyama, Boardwalk Bullet, Hades 360, Zeus (at Mount Olympus, not that abysmal thing in France), and Shivering Timbers (which has improved a lot in the past few years). I guess I would say Revenge of the Mummy, Fire in the Hole/Blazin Fury, Air, and Nemesis Inferno were also creds I didn't think I'd care for but really enjoyed. Oh yeah, the S&S Freefly thingies are also fricken' awesome, as was Insane at Gronalund despite me thinking it would be awful based on what I heard about it. Actually, Grona was full of some fab surprises <3
 
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tomahawk

Strata Poster
Mr. Freeze. Didn't expect much, but it's fantastic. A bit painful in spots, but I didn't expect it to be great.

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BBH

Giga Poster
Viper Backwards SFGAm. The ride was already amazing, but turning it backwards is something else. Stronger air, more laterals, and even crazier than I ever imagined. Put it over Outlaw Run it was so good.

Sent from my VS820 using Tapatalk
I was just at the park a few days ago. The ride is so insanely incredible backwards. An actual WTF experience.
 

Zek_Teh_Kek

Hyper Poster
I'd have to say Shivering Timbers. I expected it to be really rough (This coming from my parents) but it was very smooth, very fun, and FULL of airtime! Truly a Hidden Gem!
 
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