Finland currently has 23 operating roller coasters. While that may not be as many coasters
as a lot of countries in Europe, Finland has a very unique collection of coasters.
This past summer, I visited their 3 major parks in Linnanmaki, Sarkanniemi, and PowerLand. Those
3 parks contain all but 3 of the country’s roller coasters and the coasters I missed would not have
made this list based on identical clones I have ridden elsewhere. So in this video, I will rank
my top 15 favorite roller coasters in Finland. 15) Linnunrata eXtra at Linnanmaki-
This Zierer family coaster is built inside a former water tower in the center of the park.
But you wouldn’t know it once you’re inside. The coaster is themed to outer space and it includes a
well-themed queue line and some blacklit effects during the ride. The coaster is fairly slow,
but it feels considerably faster thanks to the dark environment.
And if you ride in the back, the drops after each lift hill offer some decent whip.
14) Neo’s Twister at PowerLand- This Fabbri spinner thankfully will not beat you up like
some of the company’s other coasters. So this is a fairly enjoyable coaster. The hairpin
turns offer some decent laterals and while the drops aren’t particularly steep or thrilling,
you do spin for most of the layout unlike the more common Zamperla or Reverchon spinning coasters.
13) Cobra at PowerLand- This Vekoma boomernag is one of the better ones out there. It’s one of the
newer ones, as it was built in 2005. And it also features Vekoma’s newer generation MK1211 trains.
These trains do still feature over-the-shoulder restraints, but the superior trackwork eliminated
all headbanging. That allowed me to appreciate the solid initial plunge and forceful inversions- both
forwards and backwards. The other cool thing about this boomerang is that the station fills
with smoke when you pass through it. This makes the already disorienting ride even more dizzying.
12) Trombi at Sarkanniemi- I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t hate Zamperla
volares. The tight turns can be jerky, but the restraints don’t cause me any headbanging
so I don’t find it an issue. That allows me to appreciate the good Gs on the turns
and scary hangtime on the inline twists. 11) Vuoristorata at Linnanmaki-
This classic scenic railway coaster is one of the few coasters that still has a brakeman on-board.
The only previous one I rode at Tivoli Gardens was an airtime machine, but unfortunately this one
was run much more conservatively. It was braked so harshly that the operator actually had to
push the train with his feet at times to make it around the turns. The lack of speed resulted
in very little airtime. However, I could still appreciate this ride’s rich history
and how smooth it was given its age. 10) MotoGee at Sarkanniemi- This Zamperla
motocoaster has a shockingly strong launch for a coaster of this size. The super compact layout has
a few moderately forceful turns and the profiling into those turns sometimes cause itty bitty pops
of airtime. The sense of speed is also accentuated by the engine reving sounds that play throughout.
9) Salama at Linnanmaki- This custom Maurer spinning coaster has a unique placement above
the park’s Hurjakuru rapids ride. This one has very little braking and holds its speed well.
The initial drop and horseshoe turn are fun, but the rest of the helically winding layout didn’t
produce as much spinning as I would have expected- even with an off-balanced car.
8) Ukko at Linnanmaki- This is a rare Maurer SkyLoop and it offers some of the best hangtime
of any coaster. The way the lift hill transitions from a vertical lift to an upside-down lift
is freaky and you get several seconds of hangtime from both that lift hill and subsequent barrel
roll. The stalls until the brake catches you also offer a mix of hangtime and weightlessness. And
the pullouts through the station pull some strong positive Gs. The one downside with this coaster is
that final brake. Brace yourself because the lap bar can really dig into your stomach here. While I
don’t have a review on this coaster, I have a more in-depth review of an identical clone in X-Coaster
at Magic Springs if you want to hear more. 7) Kirnu at Linnanmaki- The prototype Intamin
ZacSpin is a fun coaster unlike Six Flags Magic Mountain’s former Green Lantern First Flight.
Kirnu actually allows the vehicles to spin freely, so the forces feel more natural.
The flipping is considerably more intense than the S&S free spins since the axis of rotation
is not around the rider’s center of mass. This can cause a little discomfort as you’re thrown into
the lap bar, but I love how intense this ride is. The first raven turn produces a freefall sensation
similar to a drop tower and the final element is insane. You get a pop of airtime and a flip
simultaneously. I just wish this ride was longer, as it has roughly 10 seconds of prime ride time.
6) Thunderbird at PowerLand- This was GCI’s first coaster in Euorpe and it’s Finland’s best wooden
coaster. This is the ride that was cloned for Six Flags St. Louis’s American Thunder.
The double out-and-back layout is filled with bunny hills, but the ride fizzles out in the
second half offering very little airtime. Fortunately, the first half has a few decent
airtime moments and the ride is very smooth. 5) Pitts Special at PowerLand- This Gerstlauer
Infinity coaster offers a confusing ride experience. The first drop and subsequent
pullout are great. You go from some decent ejector airtime to crushing positive Gs in an instant.
And there’s also a speed hill in the first half that delivers some great ejector airtime.
However, this coaster has some of the worst pacing on the planet.
Almost every element seems like its too tall or elongated, so it feels like you’ll valley on most
elements. So you barely get any additional forces. I go into more detail in a separate review.
4) Hype at Sarkanniemi- This is one of the best Premier Rides Sky Rocket II’s out there for two
reasons. One, this version has just lap bars. Two, this one offers amazing views of Sarkanniemi,
the water, and downtown Tampere. And those visuals are paired with the usually forceful ride.
The launches are just ok, but the ascent and descent from the tower deliver powerful ejector
airtime. And that super slow barrel roll induces some great hangtime.
3) Tornado at Sarkanniemi- This is one of the rare Intamin full-circuit inverted coasters and it
really is a shame there aren’t more. It’s a ton of fun. Tornado has 5 great inversions. The vertical
loop and cobra roll deliver the positive Gs while the final two heartline rolls deliver oodles of
hangtime. The first heartline roll in particular is incredible, as it occurs underground above the
load platform. Between the concrete walls on all sides and minimal clearances, the element will
mess with your mind. This ride is also smooth and has a neat setting running along the wooded midway
and also going underground at points. I go into more detail in a separate review.
2) Junker at PowerLand- This Gerstlauer Infinity coaster is fantastic. The initial launch is one of
the most powerful out there. This LSM launch packs a wallop and pins you to your seat.
Then the layout includes a several hills delivering great ejector airtime,
most notably the top hat. And you also have three inversions featuring near-misses
and copious amounts of hangtime. And as a bonus, you’re usually getting extreme laterals on those
hills and inversions at the same time. Combine that with many compact valleys that pile on the
positive Gs and you have one of the most underrated launch coasters in the world.
1) Taiga at Linnanmaki- This Intamin LSM coaster is incredible. This is one of the best paced
coasters in the world. The ride has strong elements and the transitions in-between them
are quick, forceful, and seamless. And the ride’s placement on the hill is brilliant. It not only
offers amazing views of Helsinki, but you also get sudden speed bursts as you drop down the hillside.
The coaster contains some great airtime moments- particularly on the giant top hat and speed hills-
but the highlights for me were the inversions. 3 of them- the zero-G winder,
supersized zero-G stall, and final barrel roll- are loaded with hangtime and some of my favorite
inversions anywhere. And those forces are even better since you have just lap bars. I have
a separate review that goes into more detail, but Taiga is one of Intamin’s best coasters.
So those are my top 15 favorite roller coasters in Finland. The top two are great launch coasters
any coaster enthusiast should have on their bucket list and then the rest of the country’s offerings
consist of some fairly rare models. What is your favorite coaster in Finland or what is the coaster
you are most looking forward to? I would love to hear your thoughts on any of these rides down
in the comments. If you enjoyed this countdown, I’d appreciate it if you gave this video a like
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and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!