Roller coasters are everywhere these days, from the local county fair to the largest
of the theme parks.
And almost everyone has been on one at some point.
The evolution of the coaster over time is nothing short of amazing
as each new one seems to offer something higher, faster, and more breath-taking.
I'm Reacher and with that in mind, we're bringing you 25 of the most thrilling and heart-pounding roller coasters in the world.
Number Fifteen
When Ohio's Cedar Point decided to build a dive coaster, they didn't waste time with
the small stuff.
They went big.
And by big, I mean they built one with the super, awesome
metal name of Valravn and then made sure it was going to break records.
In fact, it broke six dive coaster records upon opening in May of 2016.
But like almost
every other coaster out there, nothing lasts forever, and these have since been surpassed.
The only one it retains is the record for the tallest at 223 feet, which it shares with
the Yukon Striker.
The 3,415-foot journey begins with the train making a quick 180-degree turn out of the
station to start the ascension up the lift hill.
Once at the top, the train pauses at the precipice, building the anticipation before plummeting
214 feet straight down, reaching its top speed of 75 miles per hour.
Number Fourteen
It goes without saying that a coaster by the name of Steel Curtain is going to have something
to do with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Considering its location is Kennywood in West Mifflin,
Pennsylvania, it's a given.
As of this video, this is the youngest coaster on the list having opened in July 2019.
In
doing so, it set records on three levels as the tallest coaster in the state at 220 feet,
the most inversions in North America at nine, and the tallest inversion in the world at
197 feet.
Coming off of the lift hill, the 4,000-foot ride leads out with a Drachen Fire Dive Drop
that shoots the train directly into a banana roll.
And you'll be doing all of this in about
two minutes at speeds up to 76 miles per hour.
After riding this one I'm sure you'll see there's a reason this coaster was named after
one of the toughest defensive lines in NFL history!
Number Thirteen
Marketed as the world's first hyper-hybrid coaster, Steel Vengeance at Ohio's Cedar Point
is a mix of wood and steel towering 205 feet in the air.
Converted from an existing wood
coaster, the track was re-laid with steel and extended to a length of 5,740 feet.
Coming off of its lift hill, the train drops at a 90-degree angle for 200 feet, allowing
it to reach its top speed of 74 miles per hour.
The rest of the 2 1/2-minute ride consists
of a series of six overbanked turns and ten hills that create just over 27 seconds of
airtime.
There are also four inversions that occur while the track is winding within and through
the structure, consisting of three zero-g rolls and a zero-g stall.
When it opened in 2018, it broke several world records, mostly relating to hybrid coasters.
As of this video, it is still the longest, fastest, and tallest in the world of its kind.
Number Twelve
Opening just a short time ago on July 4th of this year, Maxx Force at Chicago's Six
Flags Great America is a new launch coaster that is breaking not one...not two...but three
records.
It has the fastest launch time, to its top speed of 78 miles per hour, at just 1.8 seconds.
After that, riders experience the fastest inversion at 60 miles per hour as well as
the tallest double inversion at 175 feet.
This and a few other inversions, for a total
of five, doesn't sound like much but it all happens in just 1,800 feet of track over 23
seconds.
That's barely time to take a second breath, assuming you aren't holding yours
the whole time!
Number Eleven
Also having a car theme like its steel counterpart, Lightning Rod at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge,
Tennessee has the distinction of being the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world
since it opened in 2016.
Starting with a 45 mile per hour launch up a 206-foot hill, the ride goes into twin camel
humps before it even hits its massive 165-foot drop.
Riders are then propelled along the
3,800-foot long track through the trees and hills surrounding the park, reaching speeds
up to 73 miles per hour.
Riders experience roughly 20 seconds of airtime during the 3:12 second ride, which is just
enough to make eating before the ride a coin-flip decision.
Number Ten
The Intimidator 305 is a Nascar themed Gigacoaster found at Kings Dominion amusement park in
Doswell, Virginia.
It all seems fitting considering the top speed of 90 miles per hour and the
modifications that had to be made early on due to riders blacking out in its first turn.
Standing 305 feet at its highest, the ride doesn't hesitate to get the adrenaline flowing
as the first drop is 300 feet
down at an 85-degree angle.
Surprisingly it has no inversions, but the three high-speed turns near ground level and
the six air-time humps still make the 5,100-foot long, three-minute ride one of the most thrilling
on the East Coast since it opened in 2010.
Number Nine
How would you like to experience the longest, fastest, and tallest non-launched steel coaster
in the United States?
If you make a stop at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina you
can do just that on Fury 325, a Giga Coaster that also manages to be interstate as it crosses
into South Carolina during the ride.
It begins with a lift up to the top of a 325-foot high peak followed by an 81-degree drop that
gets riders up to 95 miles per hour.
Considering that this one just opened in 2015 and has maintained the #1 spot in the Golden
Ticket Awards among steel coasters worldwide for the past three years, it should be a welcome
addition to anyone's list.
Number Eight
Holding its own against other famous Japanese coasters is Takabisha, a record-breaker located
in Fujiyoshida Fuji-Q Highland Park.
Unlike most coasters, this one doesn't start with a lift hill or a drop.
The 3,280-foot
long ride begins with a descent into a pitch-black tunnel that includes a heartline roll.
But this isn't the end as the car immediately makes a sharp turn and heads to a vertical
lift that takes it 141 feet into the air.
Upon reaching the top, the car slowly creeps
to the edge of a record-setting 121-degree, beyond-vertical drop.
That's a lot to pack
into a ride that lasts roughly two minutes!
Although it has held the record since its opening in 2011, Takabisha's drop will be
surpassed 1/2 of a degree by Shellraiser, a coaster themed after the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, which set to open later this year in the US.
Number Seven
Located in San Antonio's Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme park, Batman: The Ride was the
first 4D free spin roller coaster when it debuted in May of 2015.
Riders sit four across with two on each side of the track in seats that pivot and spin
using a mix of magnetism, gravity, and body weight.
The 1,019-foot ride starts with a vertical 120-foot lift which wastes no time getting
to the good stuff by pluming the rider through a series of hills that deliver six full inversions
and two beyond-vertical raven drops that'll give new meaning to the term weightlessness.
Its speed of 38 miles per hour may not sound fast, but you can be sure this one is not
for the faint of heart.
You don't have to be as rich as Bruce Wayne to ride this one,
but you might just need the bravery of its namesake superhero.