You know, I think it's not bad! There's a little rumble in the valleys, but no more than you'd expect to be appropriate for a vintage woodie. It's not as smooth as Yankee Cannonball has been for the past several years--that's become a phenomenally smooth ride, if not the most forceful one.
I haven't been to New England yet, but it is one of my biggest bucket list destinations. Not necessarily because of the coasters, though your top three here are definitely worth the trip. It just looks like possibly the most beautiful place in the United States (that, and I really hate the heat here in the south). Every time I see videos and images of Boulder Dash, I think it might be the most beautiful coaster setting in the world. Those gorgeous trees right up against the lake... it's dreamy.
I feel like locals are always harsher about their home than non-locals haha, but New England definitely is beautiful, especially in the fall!! Hope you get to make it up here one day :)
Lake Compounce, Canobie Lake Park and Story Land are all physically pretty parks, and I think that setting elevates them above what the ride collections offer. Six Flags New England... well, it needs work. But the view from Superman is nice. New England in the summer and fall is lovely. The winter is *long* and dark and loses its novelty when you realize spring hasn't really come yet in early April (and it means parks can't operate year round or even close). But if you like winter sports, there's that too.
Wicked cyclone is definitely my all time favorite. I have this hilarious picture from the ride where I have my poker face on the train. The ride is also my favorite because of the wait times. If it is a summer Tuesday or Wednesday, there is little to no wait. It gives me the opportunity to get on the ride a few times in a row. Overall, best rollercoaster I’ve been on and probably the bests for a while to come.
Same with me! Cyclone was my favorite and I had to ride it 3x every visit and always my last ride in the park! I just went last weekend and the new one is insane and I loved it! The exit still has part of the old cyclone entrance/exit which made me happy and nostalgic! The ride was even better than I could have expected!
My family are not coaster fans--I took my kid on Yankee Cannonball and her response was to swear off big coasters forever. So I always have to go on Untamed solo. But there's an upside to that, and that's that Untamed has a single-rider line so I never have to wait! I think the only other coaster in the region that has one is Batman: The Dark Knight, and I certainly use that one too.
You don't make a secret about your New-England-ish-ness, but I've also never found you to be obnoxious about it. So it's fun to see you just go all-out with the NE pride here. Almost like riding a buzz-bar coaster, you might say.
Zoomerang might be somewhat smooth but the whiplash going down the return hill can be pretty intense. So intense that on one occasion the friend I was riding with hit his head from the whiplash and blacked out for the entire return trip and I didn’t notice until we were back in the station.
Great list! S-man and Cyclone Wicked is a great one-two punch. Boulder Dash is a beauty. If they had amazing coasters during the 1880s, this would be on top of Walt Whitman's coaster list. That poet loved his nature scenery, perhaps a little too much, I mean, a lot too much (It's bad and I don't recommend anyone look it up). If you enjoy nature and the thrill rush, Boulder Dash seems one of the best. Question: Have you ever been to any Bo Sox games with Canobie Coaster? The AL East right now is a coaster ride in itself.
I never thought I'd see the Yankee Cannonball on any BEST list. I love it because it's my first, home coaster. (I live just outside Boston to the north.) LOVE THIS COASTER. Nice to see it here. (Didn't know we had this many coasters in New England that aren't in Six Flags.)
I'd rate Untamed much higher for purely sentimental reasons: it was the first new coaster that I got to experience opening up after my adult return to riding coasters, and a whole type of ride I had never experienced before. I also don't feel the roughness that it's sometimes accused of having, but I think that is probably just because I'm fairly tall so I don't bang my head on the restraints. I also think theming is important, and the thing has wonderful theming at a park that isn't really known for it. I have actually not ridden Compounce's Wildcat yet simply because it had such a bad reputation that I always prioritized riding other things when I went to Compounce. Now that it's fixed, it's a must-do for me whenever I manage to get back there. As for Boulder Dash... By rights it *should* be in the top 3, but the last time I rode it, just before the Titan Trackening, it was jackhammering so hard that it actually became an unpleasant ride and I honestly enjoyed Phobia Phear Coaster more. If that's gotten better, then it should achieve at least #3. But I'd rate Superman higher. I can't argue with rating Wicked Cyclone #1 though. It's still the best coaster I've ridden. I am probably going to finally get around to riding Excalibur next weekend.
That's a term I haven't encountered before! Some of the coasters that would have that status for me are long gone. But I'd probably say similar things about BGW's Loch Ness Monster (my first looper) and Hersheypark's sooperdooperLooper (the first looper I *saw running*, at a time when few of them existed, though I was far too terrified to get on it back then--when I got back there around 2011, I made a point of riding it even though I had limited time, prioritizing it over some much more impressive coasters).
...okay, based on the rides I had today, Excalibur is damned good, definitely the dark horse in the running. At this point, based on my most recent experiences... I might rank it #3, above Boulder Dash. It's nowhere near as *awe-inspiring* as Boulder Dash, but it is a far more pleasant riding experience than Boulder Dash as of a couple of years ago, which is the last time I rode it. It tracks great, has just enough rumble to give you the wood experience without actually being rough at all, and has charming theming and a beautiful setting. The layout is basically a twister, interesting mix of forces with a lot of laterals to go with the drops. Apart from not being a dueling coaster, the ride reminded me a lot of PortAventura's Stampida, another CCI of about the same age, only a bit taller and more forceful than Stampida.
Superman's restraints are bad, but Wicked Cyclone's are worse for me. As long as you have the slightest gap on Superman, you're fine. Wicked Cyclone for me is a guaranteed staple ever time.
@@coaster365 that first turn at the top of the first big hill after the drop and you pass the station is absolutely brutal that needs retracking and probably a little reprofiling too
Another great video from Coaster 365! Here's my personal "old man" New England rankings, including defunct rides, with their overall ranking (out of 53) in parenthesis. Honorable mention to a traveling carnival coaster I rode in Woburn (would be 18.5, or 44 on my full list) and a mountain coaster that I also don't include, because mountain coasters are stupid. 1. Wicked Cyclone (2) LOVE LOVE LOVE 2. Superman (3) 3. Excalibur (6) LOVE LOVE LOVE 4. Phobia (13) 5. Batman (17) 6. Riverside Cyclone (21) - defunct 7. Yankee Cannonball (25) 8. Sea Viper (26) 9. Riddler's Revenge (27) 10. Black Widow (28) - defunct 11. Boulder Dash (31) HATE HATE HATE 12. Corkscrew (32) - defunct 13. Galaxy (Canobie) (33) - defunct 14. Untamed (34) 15. Roar-o-saurus (36) HATE HATE HATE 16. Wildcat (37) 17. Thunderbolt (38) - Would be higher if I could pick my seat 18. Flashback (41) 19. Catwoman's Whip (47) 20. Firefly (later was at Santa's Village until recently) (48) 21. Kiddie Dragon (49) 22. Wild Mouse Funtown (50) 23. Polar Coaster (51)
@@MattMcIrvin The last 15 seconds felt like a car crash. Potholes, potholes, potholes, jarring break run, plus no non-wheel seats. I got 1 ride each of the 2 days I was there, in Rows 6 and 4, and didn't want to get back on after either one. The airtime didn't make up for the pain. Excalibur in Row 11 has been my best experience on any wood coaster to date, and I got on that 17 times in a day. I can usually end up with pretty loose restraints, so the drop in Row 11 is better than Superman's drop in Row 17! Roar-o-saurus doesn't have a good first drop, and neither does Boulder Dash, and both those coasters also feel like they're giving me a concussion.
@@DZH22 That's too bad--Roar-O-Saurus was pretty smooth when it first opened (but still filled with ejector). The first drop is of course nothing special, but it's like a mechanical bull after that. I'm hoping to get out to Funtown on Sunday and, if fate cooperates, will finally get to ride Excalibur.
I am gonna say for you guys in that Region your top three would probably be starting off like this Superman the Ride at the Number one Spot than Boulder Dash at Number 2 and Of Course Number three goes to the RMC Hybrid 2015’s Wicked Cyclone which I can’t believe that coaster and Twisted Colossus at Magic Mountain will be Ten Years Old Next Year and This Year Iron Rattler and Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City are 11 years ago that just blows my mind how small some of those early projects were for RMC and then Boom 2018 and 2019 Steel Vengeance and Zadra Hyper Hybrids just mind blowing
Superman's U-bricks weren't all that bad until I grew up to be 6'4" just an inch below the height limit. Now they're awful. They sit half way down my thigh and destroyed all that beautiful airtime
I don't really understand the hate against Superman's restraints. My only issue with them was not feeling very secure. I was still slightly let down after all the ride's praise , but not as much as Wicked Cyclone, my first RMC. Superman is not quite as well designed, but has much more power. It was a hard trip up there for what is, in the end, a small park. My best takeaway was seeing cooling stations in Mass. -- OK where's the ones at SFoG or Carowinds?!
I feel like the difference between Superman's U-bricks and Wicked Cyclone's chonky RMC restraints is really quite small, but Superman gets all the hate. I think people are comparing them with the pre-accident T-bars, which I never experienced. Or with B&M hyper restraints. I mean, I rode Shambhala and I have to admit, those restraints are way better than Superman's. (But Superman still has the better layout, especially in the second half.)
I’m pretty sure Superman had to change it’s restraints after an incident in which a rider was flung out of the car and died on the last turn due to complications with the restraints and the riders size
So I think you have the correct top 5. I still have to get on your #4 and 5. But I hate to say this but none of the top 3 are in my top 50 after my latest trip to Europe. To be fair I need to get back on Boulder dash for two reasons. First it ran rough when I rode it but it has since received titan track in 10:24 certain spots and I think that would address what I felt back in 2021. Second I didn’t get a night ride. I’m not a fan of the Superman restraints. I’m an ace member and this is actually the first year I got to vote on the GTA and I don’t get the hype for it considering the restraints it is forced to use. Wicked cyclone sits just outside my top 50 and is my number one ride in NE. My complaint about it was the last lap and the pacing being slow on that last lap. I like first two laps around the structure a lot. If I can catch it on right day I’m sure it will go up. For what it is worth I agree with you on Riddlers as it really didn’t track the best even with the new restraints. I thought the one in energylandia was better and even the one at Michigans adventure tracked much better. Actually riding the one at moreys later this month. Sure it will be the best.
Wicked Cyckone’s last lap has REALLY sped up the last few years, so I’m excited for you to get back on it, same for Boulder Dash! Def need a night ride haha
Midnight Flyer ahead of Untamed is a hot take. And yes, I’ve ridden both. Midnight Flyer is smooth, but pretty average overall. Maybe it’s number 15 on this list. Also, Wildcat still sucks at the end. The beginning is fine, but the ending is god-awful. I hated Joker at SFNE, but I’d ride that again over Wildcat. I so hope they retract the rest of it.
The first two thirds of Wildcat were good enough to slightly ignore the last third 😅. And the surrounding atmosphere of MF was enough for me to put it over Untamed
I live 20 minutes away from SFNE and i have a season pass. I love superman but wish i could've been there with the better restraints. All in all I've done every coaster there and they're all great (excluding flashback)
Maybe something happened in the off-season, but as of right now I just don't understand the love for Boulder Dash. The titan tracked sections are great and smooth. But then after the turn around it was like hitting multiple brick walls, while riding a jackhammer, during an earthquake. Then again, my entire trip to Compounce a couple weeks ago was hugely disappointing.
😬😬😬 I actually still haven’t ridden BD this year, and you’re not the first person to say that! I’m also not surprised a Compounce visit was disappointing, par for the course lol
@@coaster365 That's interesting. All of the RU-vid vlogers just say how great it is. It's kind of funny, because the day we intended to go, we were litterally in the car when I checked the weather. The forecast had changed to t-storms all day. I didn't want to drive 4 hours to a closed park. So instead we went to Storyland. 10 rides on Roar made for a great day.
I overall agree, but it feels like Boulderdash has gotten a LOT rougher recently, with a few good moments where the new track is. While I used to love this coaster, I wish it still rode as well as it did when I first rode it many years ago. Don't get me wrong, this used to be a huge favorite and the layout is an absolute blast, it really needs some tlc. But still, fantastic video, and I agree on 14/15! 🤣
Thank you so much!! Ya know funny enough… I still have yet to ridden BD with the full update (just with the partial last year). That’s sad to hear! Last year I thought it was funny pretty smoothly, for Boulder Dash anyway
