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Your first Drop Tower experience

Martyn B

Martyn B

CF Legend
Let's face it, drop tower's put the sh!ts up most of, if not all of us. But can you think back to what your first ever drop tower experience was? And were you more scared back then than you are now? (I'm on about proper free fall towers, none of this controlled crap)

I'm certain my first experience was on a Fabbri Mega Drop. I remember coming off feeling pretty insane, but I don't think I was too scared on my first ever go. Probably down to not really knowing what it was going to be like. But today, it seems the more drop towers I go on, the more I **** myself.

I'll always go on them though, as I do love them. Kinda like a love-to-hate relationship really. And I've found that the smaller they are, the better! Venom at West Midlands Safari Park is tiny, must be around 70ft tall, yet it's probably the best one I've been on! Anyone else who's been on it can probably back me up here.

Anyway, what was your first drop tower experience like?
 
Supreme Scream when it first opened. It was when they still had the siren and the second hop went nearly all the way back up the tower. I was in near tears going up (when I still hated coasters and such) and it never got better. I still hate them with a passion, and I tend to avoid them now. That said, I will go on them if the group I'm with wants to and there is no line.
 
Pit Fall. I was 8 (I believe) and effing terrified of going on it. Rode it like a boss and I believe my sister (5 years older than me) was near tears. The mechanism unlocking is what got to me the most and I started freaking out. Calmed down in that brief 3 second gap to realize I hadnt fallen just to have all my doubts left 250ft in the air!

Loved it and honestly cant get enough. While some of the smaller ones are fab (Waldameers <3), Agrophobia (or whatever one is at SFoG) is the best Ive been on yet. The seats tilting outward make it so much more effective >:3
 
Mine was on a traveling ARM/Larson one at the local fair when I was eight. It was terrifying but I loved it, but over the years I got more and more afraid of them, to the point where I would literally have a death grip on the restraints and be swearing heavily on the ascent and you had to drag me on. I really only overcame my fear earlier this year on the one at KD which was amazing. After that I've only really ridden Mach Tower, Supreme Scream, Panic Plunge @ Silverwood (140' ARM/Larson tower) and Lex, the best being Lex, which made me pretty nervous but was beyond excellent and Panic Plunge, which was just amazing for no obvious reason.
 
My first was Extremis at The London Dungeon. That was scary because of the restraint being ridiculously loose. Then I went on Detonator and now I have that same love - hate relationship...
 
Think my first was apocalypse at drayton - started with the seated side, and loved it, stand up floorless was a bit scary though!

Love that suspense that builds up when you're at the top waiting to drop!
 
Likely to think Demon Drop. Maybe Power Tower. I think nothing else until Waldy with Marcus in 2008
 
Depends on your definition of controlled. ;)

Giant Drop at SFGAm. Standard second-gen Intamin drop tower, but it's an amazing rush and it's got an amazing view of the park from the top, provided you sit on the correct side.
 
My first ever drop tower experience was at Sega World in the London Trocadero. I was about 7 / 8 and if anybody remembers, it went around 100ft to the top of the building, overlooking the escalators. These things have never scared me. I love the feeling of falling and every time me and my parents would go to Leicester Square, I'd always ask to go on it. It was £5 a pop, but it was the best £5 I ever asked my parents to spend haha
 
Drop Zone at Kings Dominion, in the rain too. First ride was definitely a little scary but I ended up doing it something like 15-20 times that day as the rain cleared a whole bunch of the guests out.
 
Mach Tower on the Live...

The brakes starting the majority of the way up the tower made me do it. After that I did the Drop tower at Canada's Wonderland and really like it so I'm good with drop towers now. Quite fun.
 
Mine was Detonator at Thorpe Park. I was about 10 years old and it was around the time that I started getting the courage to go on more 'scary' rides.

Anyway I was pretty terrified. It was one of the first rides I went on with over the shoulder restraints and I felt pretty proud of myself coming off. These days i'll go on a drop tower if it hasn't got much of a queue but I wouldn't go out of my way for one (except the one at SFMM, just watching the videos make me nervous :D).
 
An actual drop tower would have been, probably Cliffhanger (when it was on it's Shot 'n Drop setting). They STILL scare the **** out of me. I HATE Detonator, it still makes me swear like a council rat.
 
I hate drop towers because I don't really like heights. My first was Detonator. My favorite is probably the standing side of Apocalypse because standing isn't as scary as sitting for some reason.
 
I don't like the thought of drop towers, but I know that once I force myself onto the things I do really enjoy them. I'm not even scared of heights, I just don't really like the feeling of not knowing when I'm going to drop and I don't like the really intense dropping sensation, like on Detonator. But most towers don't actually have that, so they're fine. Hell, my favourite ride in the world is a drop tower, so I can't hate them that much haha!
 
nadroJ said:
I don't like the thought of drop towers, but I know that once I force myself onto the things I do really enjoy them. I'm not even scared of heights, I just don't really like the feeling of not knowing when I'm going to drop and I don't like the really intense dropping sensation, like on Detonator.
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Pretty much the same for me, except the not knowing part is far worse than the intense feeling. I don't mind the intensity if I know when it's coming.

I can't actually remember my first drop tower. I've been trying to think what it would have been, but nothing is standing out. I know I did Dr Doom's Fearfall at IOA in 2006, but I don't know if that's a proper drop tower. The only other one I can think of is Hurukan Condor, in 2007 (I'd have been 14-15), which was scary as ****. Apart from that I'm struggling to think what else I'd have been on.
 
I think I went on a kiddy one at Gulliver's Warrington, but I wouldn't class that as a proper drop tower. The next one would be Tower of Terror at DLRP, which really got me excited and nervous at the same time as I had no idea what to expect. Still, it's not a drop tower in the conventional sense, and the first time I had the "holy crap this is high, when the hell are we going to drop?!" sensation was on Apocalypse at Drayton. The holding at the top, not knowing when the thing is going to drop has to be one of the most intense experiences at a theme park, which for some is just truly terrifying. I've also never really got why Detonator stops at the top for ages sometimes.
 
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