If you love the excitement of “thrill
rides” that take your breath away, dare you to keep your eyes open or cause
you to scream with exhilaration, these top-rated roller coasters will keep you
coming back for more.
Superman
– The Escape
Six Flags Magic Mountain:
Valencia, California
Following the DC
Comics Superman legend,
passengers begin the adventure in the Fortress of Solitude, a crystalline ice cavern high above the park's mountain ridge.
Guests escape through a special-effects tunnel in 15-passenger vehicles and then
blast out of the station, accelerating from 0 to 100 miles per hour in seven
seconds.
Then the fun starts as you shoot straight up the 41-story
tower. An unprecedented 6.5 seconds of weightlessness is experienced as riders
slowly begin the terrifying backward descent. As trains free-fall straight down
the skyscraper-like track, they re-enter the 100 miles per hour speed zone
before safely returning to earth.
Spanning more than 900 feet across the theme park and
looming 415 feet above the ground, the dual track coaster forms a gigantic
"L" shaped structure that dramatically changes Six Flags Magic
Mountain's skyline.
Magnum
XL200 Roller Coaster
Cedar Point: Sandusky, Ohio
Cedar Point is often called the nation's roller coaster
mecca. Overlooking Lake Erie, the 128-year-old park offers 12 of the nation's
highest-rated coasters – more than any other park.
However, Magnum is the grande dame. The record breaking
thrill ride was the first steel coaster to break the 200-foot-high barrier with
a drop of 194.8 feet at a 60-degree angle. At the bottom of the first hill, the
train travels over 70 miles per hour. On clear days passengers can see Canada as
the cars approach the first pinnacle. Traveling at a top speed of 72 miles per
hour, passengers experience an exhilarating rush several times during the ride.
The Beast
Paramount’s Kings Island: Kings Mills, Ohio
Opened in 1979, The Beast remains the
world's best and longest wooden roller coaster with a ride time of four minutes
and seven seconds. The legendary Beast amazes it's “prey” as it roars
through wilderness, dark tunnels and its signature twin helix on 7,400 feet of
Unlike the typical coaster that goes up
and down, up and down, the Beast just keeps going down with a maximum drop of
141 feet! While most of the track isn't very steep, the train maintains
impressively high speeds, thanks to a second lift hill before the finale. Thrill
riders shouldn’t miss their chance to feel the grip of The Beast!
Montu Roller Coaster
Busch Gardens: Tampa Bay, Florida
For those craving high-intensity multi-inversion steel
coasters, this is the place to visit.
Montu, named after an Egyptian sun god, is one of Bolliger
& Mabillard's latest and greatest inverted steelies. It uses underground
tunnels and trenches effectively to heighten each passenger’s feelings of
speed and vulnerability.
Once over the lift hill, Montu allows no chance for
passengers to catch their breaths. Going faster than 60 miles per hour, Montu
relentlessly flings your body in every direction, beginning with the 104-foot
vertical loop. As it zooms through its batwing and six other inversions, it
pummels its passengers with positive G-forces as it races down the 3,983-foot
track. It’s a hardcore coaster that will thrill you to the end.
Manhattan Express
New York, New York Hotel and Casino: Las Vegas, Nevada
With heights of 203 feet, drops of 144 feet and speeds up
to 67 miles per hour, this attraction adds new meaning to the phrase "let
it ride!" It features the world's first "heartline" twist and
dive maneuver, allowing riders to experience the thrilling force of negative
g-forces! Simulating a barrel-roll in a jet fighter, it rolls 180 degrees, hangs
86 feet in the air, then dives back under itself, promising dizzying excitement
and white-knuckle thrills!