*Cries in Norwegian*
Not an awfully big lot of coasters over here, I'm afraid. And I haven't even ridden all there are. It might just be enough to compile a list, though:
1. Speed Monster, TusenFryd. The most
consistently good coaster in Norway, I'd say. It has a launch, inversions, and even airtime. What more can one ask for in a coaster? Well, a lick of paint probably wouldn't have hurt. Bonus points awarded for a great location and setting. On that particular front, I'd even't say it's world-class.
2. Thundercoaster, TusenFryd. A coaster that occasionally delivers one heck of a ride, and occasionally doesn't. It has really had its ups and downs over the years, but when it's good, it's
really good. It's a tad rough even on its best days, though. At its best, it can take the number one spot, but on average, I'd put it below Speed Monster.
3. Bukkerittet, Kongeparken. If this isn't an indication of the Norwegian coaster scene, I don't know what is. A third-hand Reverchon spinner from 1999 is the third best coaster in the country. That being said, it's a very nicely located and even decently themed Reverchon spinner. Individually painted cars and way more custom carpentry than most cloned coasters get. Its setting atop the hill is really nice too. I haven't ridden Primeval Whirl (despite having visited Animal Kingdom twice when it operated - sue me), but I'd say Bukkerittet edges them out as the nicest-looking Reverchon Spinner I know of.
4. Den Aller Minste, TusenFryd. It appears a little out of order from its placement in my Top 10 (which doesn't include Bukkerittet), because I'd be hard-pressed to say it's the third best coaster in the country given the existence of the above. It's more of a personal preference of mine, this waist-high coaster whose lift hill has only two pairs of drive tyres and whose track length is barely in the double digits. It's so absurdly small you only gotta love it.
5. Svalbard-Expressen, Kongeparken. Another Kongeparken entry. It's a really good family coaster, as family coasters go. Nicely themed, nice setting, custom train, has a story, and is really pleasant overall. It's solid as these things go, despite being an off-the-shelf clone.
6. Bobbanen, Kongeparken. Do we count Alpine slides? Well, we sort-of have to, otherwise we won't get to 10. I don't think this one is special as Alpine slides go, but Alpine coasters are generally good fun and it has a really nice station (
RCDB link). That has to count for something, or what?
7. Dragen, Tusenfryd (Defunct Zamperla). Better give a disclaimer in brackets for any future readers. I think the new Dragen will get a spot near the top of this list, but this is the old one that was removed in 2011. I think I remember it as better than it actually was. It's mostly up here because of personal preference. Substitute this with SuperSplash, Tusenfryd, if you prefer to only count operating coasters but also count water coasters among them. Personally, I count SuperSplash more as a glorified log flume than a coaster.
8. Western-Expressen, TusenFryd. Another off-the-shelf Vekoma clone, relocated from Mirabilandia back in 2012. I guess its train is themed, otherwise it's nothing special. Kind of forgettable and not themed at all. Somehow it could be even worse, though:
9. Steampunk Hunters, TusenFryd. I don't know what kind of marketing mind came up with the idea, but apparently one coaster can be marketed as two attractions if you have a separate queue for VR riding. Western-Expressen got a VR package with a name of its own, giving the coaster two separate identities depending on which train is running at the time. And man, did VR ruin a coaster you wouldn't think it possible to ruin in the first place. Not that the VR is bad in itself (except yes, it is), but it slows operations to an absolute crawl. As in, "one train dispatching every five minutes". The name is pretty lame too.
10. Loopen, TusenFryd. One of the coasters that defined the spotty reputation Vekoma had for a while until they learned how to build coasters a few years ago. To start with the positive: There's rarely a queue to ride it. After all, it has a seven-car train on a layout barely 400 meters long. It's literally a turn out of the station, lifthill, turning drop, loop, turn, corkscrew, turn, brakes. Over the years, some nice foliage has sprouted inside the layout of what was obviously meant to be a portable coaster that was never moved anywhere, but otherwise, there's little positive to say about it. It's rough, coarse, irritating, and it gets nowhere. Ride it once for the cred, then forget it. Your ears will probably give you some reminders of its existence for a few days, but after that, it's really forgettable.
Hm, somehow, we got all the way to 10, albeit while counting an alpine slide, a defunct powered coaster, and counting another coaster twice. I guess Il Tempo Extra Gigante would take a spot in the upper half of the list if I ever get to ride it. The train alone makes it a Top 4 contender pretty easily. There are a few other minor creds scattered about, otherwise the Norwegian coaster scene is pretty unremarkable. I recommend a trip to Kongeparken, though, if you're ever in the Stavanger area. I won't hesitate to rank it above TusenFryd in terms of quality, although it doesn't have any big thrill coasters.
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