Your next Beast goal needs to be riding it during the Haunt! It is next level! All the fog from the park, dark woods, pitch black tunnels…now that’s a religious experience! Might be bias bc KI is my home park 😂
Good video, Chris! It's always nice when we give rides another chance. I can say Tennessee Tornado increased in my rankings when I rode it again in 2021. I also think Runaway Mine Train at Great Adventure is definitely underrated. I thought it was lots of fun, especially going out over the lake.
I went to Dollywood for the first time back in April, and Thunderhead blew me away. I had TimeSaver so I rode it 3 or 4 times in a row, it was that freaking good
According to Chris from ACN, the reason the bottom of the first drop rattles on Scream is due to them dropping the track piece from about 15 ft during construction in 2003, and the park decided to fix it on site instead of sending it back to the fabrication factory.
Skyrush shot up in my rankings as well! Everything else fell in my rankings because I got 86 credits this year which almost doubled my credit count from last year. Even Steel Vengeance and Fury 325 fell from #1 and #2 respectively to #2 and #3 respectively because Voyage became my new #1. I was so blown away by it, and I haven't even gone to Holiwood nights yet!
Scream is a fantastic night ride. I got lucky and did it on a Fourth of July weekend and the ride op told us we'd get the best view of the fireworks in the park. Fireworks started before we left the station and he held us on the lift hill for a minute or so which was awesome and then the rest of the ride lit by the fireworks was pretty magical. I love the ride beside that, but it was definitely the cherry on top. Beast has been my favorite coaster since I was a kid and has one of the best first hill views in the world. Love the ride even if it's not the most thrilling by modern standards.
Wild Eagle: Dollywood is my home park. Best seats are the back two rows OR the outside seat in the right side of row 1. That outside seat is legitimately awesome and when the coaster gets low to the ground, you get some kind of near miss moments that you normally miss out on.
I always loved Pantheon at Busch Gardens. Every time I ride it, that backwards launch over the little airtime hill always catches me off guard. It’s a great ride for what it is
Liking the love you gave to Six Flags America! I just hit up this park for the first time this past summer and had fun! Rode Superman 7 times. Love the first drop and the airtime hill after the first helix!
I was wondering if the Beast was going to shoot up your rankings, but I didn’t think it would be the top mover. I’m glad Kings Island is continuing to take care and improve it through the years. It’s still trimmed too much, imo. I think they do trim it less for night rides.
the main coaster for me that shot up in my rankings this year was Wicked Cyclone. I hadn't ridden it in a while, and then I re-experienced the pure insanity of it!
Awesome list. Mine was easily Magnum XL 200. Didn't even like it the first time I rode it like 10 years ago. It blew me away this summer. Loved it. Not sure why I hated it the first time. Just got a bad ride I guess. Beast is my number 1 at Kings Island so loved that selection. It felt like an unhinged, wild ride when I rode it this summer for the first time. Lastly, (hot take, maybe) Adventure Express > Runaway Mine Train. I haven't ridden the one you said was #1 in the video, but AE was so much fun. #6 in the park. I almost put it ahead of Banshee. But RMT is a very good Mine train.
@@AirtimeThrillsI don't think E&F made them anymore. Besides, their newest coaster is 7 years old, shame they didn't make more of these, this coaster model looks like it has its potential for smaller parks that should look to afford forceful coasters on a budget.
Love seeing skyrush and Nitro on here. Both rank in my top 25. Nitros helix is AWESOME, but skyrush still feels like a very polarizing coaster even after the updated restraints for some 😅
I can't make a video like this yet. Perhaps the best of 2024 for me coaster wise is still ahead of me. I'm currently sitting at 399 credits, if my contract is renewed on Friday (seems more than likely) I will be celebrating with my 400th credit, and I'll go with Matterhorn because it's an ACE landmark (the most worthy coaster in California that I haven't ridden as of now, even if you factor in Flash Vertical Velosity). Even if I was supposed to get it in August and that didn't happen due to a sudden change in plans.
My only re-rides this year were my home-park favorites, Yankee Cannonball and Untamed at Canobie. Not much to say about them--the way they ride hasn't changed in several years. They're both fun but not extraordinary. Yankee Cannonball, these days, is unusually well-kept and smooth for a woodie from the 1930s.
Thunderhead blew my mind this year! In 2021 it had a violent disagreement with me. In 2024, it was so consistently smooth, cramming great pops of floater all around its layout that I could now enjoy without phasing out the jackhammering. It made a serious case for number 1 in the park for me.
Skyrush is actually one that shot far down my list. It did seem rougher, and I actually find the new lap bars more painful than the old ones. Leg crushing doesn't hurt me at all, but the new lap bars put pressure on my groin instead. Plus, the old restraints allowed for a more open & out of control feeling. Skyrush went from top 20 to out of my top 50. The most significant one that shot up my list would be El Toro, as it went from out of my top 20 to easily my favorite woodie & favorite Intamin. Other big moves up my list in no particular order: Raging Bull X Flight Storm Runner (almost my favorite at the park) Thunderbolt at SFNE (new # 3 at the park) Comet at Great Escape (I forgot how good it is) Predator at Darien Lake (so much better with the titan track)
Only been to Kentucky Kingdom one time but Storm Chaser is a good ride. A bit short but a good ride and the line was pretty short for it when I was there. Not as good as Blue Lightning but better than any other coaster there by a large margin.
Storm Chaser seems to be affected a lot by the weather. People who've ridden on a warm day absolutely rave about it, but who rode on a cold day doesn't get the hype. Most coasters in general are not running well on cold days, but somehow Storm Chaser especially changes a lot.
I worked at KK this summer, storm chaser was running very slow to start the season, then we switched out wheels and it was hauling the rest of the season
Just gonna go ahead and say it, Thunderhead is better than Lightning Rod at Dollywood now, and it's not even close. Thunderhead was truly a masterpiece one more when I marathoned it in September, so many amazing floater and was truly hauling the entire time. When GCI gets it right, it's truly special. Can't necessarily agree with Runaway Mine Train since that's honestly in my bottom 5 coasters (probably partly because it's not tall people welcoming so it just hurt the entire time) but glad ya enjoyed it!
TOTALLY agree about Thunderhead. I rode both Thunderhead and Lightning Rod (launched) in late 2021, and believed Thunderhead was better even back then! It's that coaster's tight, relentless pacing and long layout that just really sealed the deal for me!
I’d also give it to Thunderhead personally, I had no expectations for it when I first went to Dollywood back in April, and it absolutely blew me the hell away and I rode it 4 times in a row thanks to TimeSaver. LR is still amazing and also had me getting right back in line, but I knew what I was getting into with it, and it sadly doesn’t have the launch anymore to boot
Got my first ride on Scream last week and was very, very pleasantly surprised given the fact that I've heard nothing but people clowning on that ride for years. That said, parking lot setting does not do it any favors 😆
I love Wild Eagle. It was my first wing coaster. I will say that Gatekeeper beats it, but it's still a great coaster. Thunderhead is the wildest woodie I have ever been on. Pantheon is number 3 on my coaster list. Number 2 if you count only coasters that are still around. I used to love Vortex, but since I've gotten older, I don't like it as much. Still not the worst coaster I'ver ever been on though. Far from the worst! 😂 The Beast was amazing in my opinion! One of my favorite wooden coasters I've ever been on. I'm a front rider on all coasters, so that's what I'm basing my ranks from.
I rode 40 new coasters but no rerides this year, so I'll say a few things about some of these: I really like Galaxy Spin, so Rajun Cajun looks awesome 14 - I'm a big Nighthawk fan, so I really want to ride Batwing 12 - Need to reride Wild Eagle now that I've been on GateKeeper and Thunderhead 10 - Thunderhead is great! 8 - Rode Vortex once and it was actually alright. Not great, but not nearly as bad as people say. I did ride the front, so that might have something to do with it 7 - Nitro looks like Goliath and I'm really excited to ride this someday! 4 - Rode Storm Chaser this summer and it wasn't as powerful as people say, but it was still a lot of fun. Great airtime! 3 - Never rode the original trains on SkyRush, but these lap bars actually kind of hurt me, so I can't imagine what they were before. Also, yeah it's really rough. I tried middle seats but I still got rattled to death. 1- The Beast the best the Beast the best the Beast! Maybe I'll get to visit Dollywood next year and reride some things... or SeaWorld, idk, we'll see
I was amazed how intense Runaway Mine Train was. Definitely the best one I've ridden. Hydra sucked. Good elements but too rough. Storm Chaser was my first RMC and I love it. My first ride on Skyrush was great. But I got a wing seat on the second ride, and it rattled my brain. Nitro has an awesome layout. I didn't care for The Beast the first time I rode it back in 2011. But I returned last year and I freaking love it now.
man i can dream, it's been my mission to ride over 300 coasters and i haven't even reached 100 yet, im still at 83. i envy guys like you Chris. you don't know how good you got it , i still can't believe i only have 83 credits . i literally dream of riding them but something comes up , it baffles me how you can afford to ride all these. ever thought of doing like a special giveaways so you can make one of the unfortunates dream come true. i'd work so hard just to make it out to great Adventure i was going to ride KA in August but unfortunately stuff came up and so i'll never got to go and will never be able to ride KA and GL.
Where do you live? Sometimes it's a matter of being too far away from parks and not money. I grew up in Maryland in the 90s so I had 7 major growing and rapidly expanding parks within a 3 hour drive of my house, plus several large parks by the Atlantic Ocean in Maryland and New Jersey. The mid Atlantic is the best place to live in the country for sheer volume and number of roller coasters, Maryland in particular because it is sandwiched between New Jersey Pennsylvania and Virginia and not too far from New York Ohio and New England. If you don't believe me add up the number of roller coasters on RCDB from Maine to Virginia out to Ohio and there are easily several hundred within a day's drive of where I grew up. That's not true anywhere else in the country even if you have the money to visit. You have to put in a lot more time and effort and planning even with the money to get to the parks like Chris's multi week trips from Tulsa to the East Coast to visit all the parks that I have spent most of my life until the past few years a day or a half day drive or even less to travel to and visit. Cost is only part of it, logistics and proximity are a big part as well even when one can afford it. I have been very blessed to have visited as many water parks and amusement parks as I have visited in my 44+ years of life so far. God willing my next big trip and multi park visit is July 2025 coaster crew Japan. I pray from my mouth to God's ears! 😁
Of course two years after I move away from Hershey they make Skyrush truly elite. I guess at least I was among its fans and got to take advantage of the lack of lines 2020-2022? (Record for me was 11 laps without leaving the station on a cold November Sunday evening for its final rides of 2020)
Happy to see The Beast at #1 !!! A coaster I only started riding two years ago but I absolutely love it. That park just has such a stacked line up that The Beast could easily be someone's #5 coaster in the park. For some it's #1. For me it's #3. Great coaster at a great park!
@@vegasstafford9061Yup! #5 for me behind Mystic Timbers and the 3 B&Ms, and it's not even close for me because those 4 are so much smoother than beast even after the massive 2022 retrack/rebuild.
I rode the Beast for the first time in probably 30 years back in October 2022. It was much rougher than it had been, but I actually got my first night ride and was blown away. Then, they retracked before the 2023 season and I was so much smoother than the year prior. Top three operational coasters for night rides for me. My other two are Steel Vengeance and Phantom’s Revenge. No order there: The coasters are so fundamentally different that, for me, each is in its own category. Sadly, the Villain is no longer around. We rode that in the dark on a foggy October night and it was absolute perfection.
Nemesis Inferno. First couple of times I rode it I couldn’t help but compare it to the original Nemesis, this time going in I managed to put that out of my head and had a great time (and of course watched that episode of The Inbetweeners when I got back to the hotel).
My only trip to Magic Mountain was in August 22. It was insanely hot but the lines weren't bad. SCREAM jackhammered so much it gave me a bad headache that nearly ruined my day. Apocalypse, Ninja and Viper were all closed. Super bummed i missed both classic Arrows because they will likely be gone before I'm able to get back out there.
Even at my home park my opinions change all the time. X-Flight moved back up on my list, Viper moved up a bit, and since I got to ride both sides of American Eagle on the same day for the first time, I realized that they are two completely different rides. The red side is amazing, while the blue side has a couple good moments but is otherwise lackluster. In the past I usually ranked whichever one I rode last ahead of the other, but the red side is something like 10-15 spots ahead of the blue side on my list
5.5 years of working with steel coasters will tell me that train maintenence is key. We know that is train is do for some love when it would rattle you brain out, proving you wrong when it got some love and making it smooth again. And every train has it persenalety. No mater what, on my coaster train 1 would always rattle and train 2 was smooth. No mater who would do the maintence, the park or the manefacturer, the best machanic or not. Train 1 always had a rattle and 2 was smooth
We got on Storm Chaser this year, and rode it around noon. Wow, it was amazing. Nobody was in line, we rode in the back twice without getting off the ride.
I just revisited SFMM this weekend, and the two coasters that shot up for me were riddler and viper. I always loved viper and found it underrated, but it was even better on this trip. It's very much so shot up my rankings. As for riddler, I really hated it last year when I first rode it. It was stupid intense and I didn't know how to brace myself for those elements. This year, I found a method, and now it's the best standup I've ridden by far. That layout is phenomenal. I will say, it was a tad rougher than I remember, but that didn't take away from the ride.
Batwing and Nighthawk both jumped in my rankings this year. Batwing for the reason you did. I've always had nighthawk near the bottom because it was almost never worth riding. Every time I go on a home park run, I skip Nighthawk because it never seems to have less than a 40 minute wait. I'd get off the ride nitpicking it because I had to wait that long for it. However, I went on a random Friday this fall and it was a walk-on. After 3 laps, I started appreciating it and its quirks. I am now neutral about it sticking around.
On the Beast: I got my last ride back in 2023 and I felt the ride was great….until the Helix. For some reason the helix beat me up. But I enjoyed the rest of it and it was a point of pride having lost the weight I had. I didn’t get to ride it in 2024 and that’s ok, but hopefully I will get another ride and hopefully this ride, which was opened the year I was born (16 days after may I add), will redeem itself. I can only hope.
As Nitro is my home park, I have had good rides and great rides over the last 20+ years (never an outright bad one), but the night rides, or even later in the day, were always the best. Love your love for Phoenix at Knoebel's - we only just got there in 2023 and had one PERFECT ride in the back row on a hot day with a full train... talk about standing up in your seat! Those restraints make that ride EPIC. I really loved Batwing when we rode it in 2018, it was way smoother than I expected, and a more unique experience than the B&M flyers. Can't wait to get back on Skyrush with the new restraints (I always found it overrated anyway but now I have to eat my words and try it again!). I'm rambling cuz we just had a last-minute trip to visit a friend in the Carolinas, so finally got on Fury 325 and Copperhead Strike for the first time, getting two rides on each - and I'm still elated over both. I can't imagine how insane those must be on a hot summer day, but I was thrilled to finish out December with two coasters I didn't have on my Bingo card for the year. Last time I was at Carowinds was over 30 years ago when the Carolina Cyclone was my first looping coaster!
... So... I wasn't supposed to be a person who thought SkyRush was anything but overrated. But after my rides a couple months ago with the new refresh, I've definitely been converted! I'm still not a fan of the overly-extreme airtime, but the coaster has great momentum all the way through. And I was able to enjoy my rides comfortably, even on wing-seats! It's amazing what all simply changing the restraints can do! Also, they did a great job leaning into the new "Fly First Class" theme in the station. The new lighting and sound effects really enhance the atmosphere and feeling of anticipation!
They had a fog machine running at the bottom of the second drop of The Beast when I rode it in October. Not sure if it was a permanent thing or if they only had it there for the Halloween season, but it was a nice little touch.
I love The Beast so much because for me it's like if you put a nice scenic railway like an antique train in the middle of 2 crazy rides (the start and the helix finalie which is insane like you said). also yes Ragin' Cajun and Pantheon are both also goated. honestly it's a bit of a toss up for me between velocicoaster and Pantheon. I feel like they're 2 halfs of the same coin, like Panthon is the big / graceful version and Velocicoaster is the small / nimble version of the same ride. backwards speed hill is crazy good on Pantheon and Mosasaurus Roll is crazy good on Velocicoaster
Yeah. I've always felt Wild Eagle and Scream were far better than they were given credit for. Glad to see the Lagoon representation too :-) Roller Coaster is indeed fun, and even better now that it has Millennium Flyer trains! Spider is good too, although for me Ride to Happiness is tops for spinners.
Rode 308 different coasters this year. Been on 179 of them before. Here are ones that moved up in my rankings. Taron (phantasialand) Kondaa (Walibi Belgium) Mako (sea world Orlando) Wodan (Europa park) Montu (Busch gardens Tampa) Thunderhead (Dollywood) Prowler (worlds of fun) Mamba (worlds of fun) Joris en de draak (Efteling) Colorado adventure (phantasialand) Gemini ( cedar point) Nitro ( six flags great adventure ) Beast (kings island) Lost coaster (Indians beach) Eurosat can can coaster (Europa park) Runaway mountain (six flags over Texas) Joker’s jinx (six flags America) Revenge of the mummy (us Florida) Calamity mine (Walibi Belgium) Runaway mine train (six flags great adventure) We have some overlap for sure.
Only got one trip to Six Flags Great Adventure this year. The only ride that really shot up was the Jersey Devil coaster. Last time I went, it was new and they were still figuring it out. And it may have been running slow. I was also in a very weird headspace at the time. So I didn't really enjoy it. This time though it was much more fun. It felt faster and I was in a better mood. So I was able to enjoy it more. Is it fantastic? Not really. But it was much better than I initially gave it credit for.
Some rides that shot up for me are Magnum XL 200 at Cedar Point, Poltergeist and Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Steel Eel at SeaWorld San Antonio, X2 and Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Ghost Rider and Silver Bullet at Knott's Berry Farm.
Not surprised with Nitro. I rode it in the back on a 95 degree day this summer, and during the helix I actually greyed out. It was hauling INSANE ass this summer.
Kind of funny that you had scream on this list because for me it shot down in my rankings I got a really good ride in 2023 but I just ride it 3 weeks ago and it was really rough
Rerides are SO important. I still need a redemption ride on Skyrush at Hershey Park of all rides actually 😂 the first ride I had on it was ridiculously bumpy. Idk if I got unlucky and caught a train that was about to go in for a wheel replacement or what, but the rattle was so nasty I couldn’t even enjoy the scenery because I could barely see it 😂😂 it didn’t feel as forceful as I was expecting either. I didn’t end up coming back to it that day cuz the highlight of that trip for me was Wildcat’s Revenge, as it was my first RMC and my 50th credit milestone. I absolutely loved WCR and when push came to shove, I said I’d rather get more rides on the cat rather than Skyrush, which I barely enjoyed haha. I’m hoping to give it a well deserved redemption ride the next time I’m there haha I really want to enjoy it
Skyrush was the opposite for me unfortunately. My most recent ride was last year before they changed the restraints and I felt like it was lacking the bite it once had. I really don’t have any coasters that shot up in my rankings, most are exactly how I remember them
Grizzly at Kings Dominion moved up on my list. It was on my worst list in 2019. Thunder Striker also moved way up. In 2022, it was meh. It is now my second favorite B&M Hyper. Copperhead Strike moved up as well. I also rerode Vortex and had a similar experience.
I am a local at Great Adventure. Never understood what the Nitro hype was about. I never got any real airtime on the first two hills and not much on that finale. I could ride it on a hot night with a full train and over an inch of room and my but doesn’t go up much. In my opinion, Goliath at SFOG is the ride people swear Nitro is, while it’s more like Apollo’s Chariot.
I unfortunately missed nitro in 2022 on my first visit, got to it this year and it was just good. Not great but just good. I found my rides on a hot August day in 2024 comparable to intimidator from 2019, or apollos chariot over some of its better years. But I personally preferred many other hypers over it still. And I’ve heard my opinion is in the minority. Also glad about storm chaser, there was maybe a 2 week period where it was kind of weak but for the most part it was running bonkers this year.
Really shocked to see SCREAM!, on here. I went to magic mountain 3 days ago, and jeez, that was the ROUGHEST RIDE IN THE PARK, that dy. Viper+Riddler's Revenge helped my headache, weirdly.
Skyrush wasn’t rough for me, the layout just isn’t that great, I’m still not really a fan. But all the six flags America stuff was really good for me this year, ragun spins sooo much. Also nitro is AMAZING
Crazy how much coasters can vary riding them on different days! Makes you wonder if there are rides you don’t like because you just got one bad ride on it
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I love that you have Pantheon on here. You’re one of the few coaster tubers I watch who seems to love it as much as I do. Absolutely stupid good 👏🏻
Pantheon is SO GOOD! Imagine how much cooler it would have been if it got the theming it deserves!
No way it's coaster dash also! Now we need ElToroRyan and coaster studios
Having velicicoaster here just makes it look awful. Esp with no theming
@@Artbyhurricanyounot correct music and smoke and water and fire
Artbyhurricanyounot and lazers
Your next Beast goal needs to be riding it during the Haunt! It is next level! All the fog from the park, dark woods, pitch black tunnels…now that’s a religious experience! Might be bias bc KI is my home park 😂
Sometimes re-rides can change the way you look at a ride completely. That’s why I always go back on worse rides when I’m back at a park
I hated saw the ride at Thorpe park gonna go back on it in April maybe
Well I wish I could’ve re-ride scorpion because of how sad everyone it’s gone. But now I can’t.. When I first rode it I hated it.
@@LSM_rocket50 I'm same with kingda ka
Even at my home park I do this all the time. X flight was bad for two consecutive rides and now last time I rode it I thought it was good.
So glad you finally got your night ride on the legendary Beast. ❤
Good video, Chris! It's always nice when we give rides another chance. I can say Tennessee Tornado increased in my rankings when I rode it again in 2021. I also think Runaway Mine Train at Great Adventure is definitely underrated. I thought it was lots of fun, especially going out over the lake.
Glad to see you enjoyed Thunderhead. I got seven back row night rides on it last year during ACE CoasterCon, and it was astoundingly good.
I went to Dollywood for the first time back in April, and Thunderhead blew me away. I had TimeSaver so I rode it 3 or 4 times in a row, it was that freaking good
Always love videos like this!
According to Chris from ACN, the reason the bottom of the first drop rattles on Scream is due to them dropping the track piece from about 15 ft during construction in 2003, and the park decided to fix it on site instead of sending it back to the fabrication factory.
Skyrush shot up in my rankings as well! Everything else fell in my rankings because I got 86 credits this year which almost doubled my credit count from last year. Even Steel Vengeance and Fury 325 fell from #1 and #2 respectively to #2 and #3 respectively because Voyage became my new #1. I was so blown away by it, and I haven't even gone to Holiwood nights yet!
Love seeing pantheon on here and thanks for not complaining about the theming
likeshow what theming? i never saw any
0:23 I hate when Griffon has a rollback
Roll....up
He’s got a point @Yes2snake
For some reason this clip legitimately scared me
"OK, who put the extra-strong bungee cords on a dive coaster?!"
What about grizzly at kings dominion
Scream is a fantastic night ride. I got lucky and did it on a Fourth of July weekend and the ride op told us we'd get the best view of the fireworks in the park. Fireworks started before we left the station and he held us on the lift hill for a minute or so which was awesome and then the rest of the ride lit by the fireworks was pretty magical. I love the ride beside that, but it was definitely the cherry on top.
Beast has been my favorite coaster since I was a kid and has one of the best first hill views in the world. Love the ride even if it's not the most thrilling by modern standards.
Huge Nitro Stan here. Very happy to see it getting the recognition it deserves for being such an intense ride (specifically the helix)
I am also a huge nitro fan! I go on it so many times every year and I love it so much!
Loopodyloop its my 3rd favourite B @ M hyper after Shamballa and Diamondback
You had positive things to say about Scream AND Skyrush? Who are you and what did you do to Chris?
He’s still in Australia and is a professional cricket player.
@ The Tom Brady of cricket
@@Fury325Fan Real
This is too funny😅
@@kimjones4338i could so play cricket
Wild Eagle: Dollywood is my home park. Best seats are the back two rows OR the outside seat in the right side of row 1.
That outside seat is legitimately awesome and when the coaster gets low to the ground, you get some kind of near miss moments that you normally miss out on.
I always loved Pantheon at Busch Gardens. Every time I ride it, that backwards launch over the little airtime hill always catches me off guard. It’s a great ride for what it is
Great video! Happy to see the Beast love! I really enjoyed watching this!
Nitro was my first hyper and yeah gotta agree it was running fantastically this year
Liking the love you gave to Six Flags America! I just hit up this park for the first time this past summer and had fun! Rode Superman 7 times. Love the first drop and the airtime hill after the first helix!
I was wondering if the Beast was going to shoot up your rankings, but I didn’t think it would be the top mover. I’m glad Kings Island is continuing to take care and improve it through the years. It’s still trimmed too much, imo. I think they do trim it less for night rides.
Interesting, i dont recall if the trims were lighter at night
the main coaster for me that shot up in my rankings this year was Wicked Cyclone. I hadn't ridden it in a while, and then I re-experienced the pure insanity of it!
my #1! I came off of it the first time just saying "Alan Schilke is a madman"
@ he is in fact the greatest madman to ever exist. SteVe is my #1 tho. Got my family to drive all 13 hours to cedar point for coastermania 2024
Awesome list. Mine was easily Magnum XL 200. Didn't even like it the first time I rode it like 10 years ago. It blew me away this summer. Loved it. Not sure why I hated it the first time. Just got a bad ride I guess.
Beast is my number 1 at Kings Island so loved that selection. It felt like an unhinged, wild ride when I rode it this summer for the first time.
Lastly, (hot take, maybe) Adventure Express > Runaway Mine Train. I haven't ridden the one you said was #1 in the video, but AE was so much fun. #6 in the park. I almost put it ahead of Banshee. But RMT is a very good Mine train.
Adventure express is definitely a quality mine train, it just punches you in the kidneys too much
Magnum is all about what row you sit in. The middle row of the cars are always the smoothest.
Prairie Screamer proofs that more small parks should invest in these Hi-Milers.
Do they still make these? They should
@@AirtimeThrillsI don't think E&F made them anymore. Besides, their newest coaster is 7 years old, shame they didn't make more of these, this coaster model looks like it has its potential for smaller parks that should look to afford forceful coasters on a budget.
Love seeing skyrush and Nitro on here. Both rank in my top 25. Nitros helix is AWESOME, but skyrush still feels like a very polarizing coaster even after the updated restraints for some 😅
I can't make a video like this yet. Perhaps the best of 2024 for me coaster wise is still ahead of me. I'm currently sitting at 399 credits, if my contract is renewed on Friday (seems more than likely) I will be celebrating with my 400th credit, and I'll go with Matterhorn because it's an ACE landmark (the most worthy coaster in California that I haven't ridden as of now, even if you factor in Flash Vertical Velosity). Even if I was supposed to get it in August and that didn't happen due to a sudden change in plans.
Phoenix is a top 5 wooden coaster when you’re riding in the back at night after a hot summer day.
My only re-rides this year were my home-park favorites, Yankee Cannonball and Untamed at Canobie. Not much to say about them--the way they ride hasn't changed in several years. They're both fun but not extraordinary. Yankee Cannonball, these days, is unusually well-kept and smooth for a woodie from the 1930s.
Thunderhead blew my mind this year! In 2021 it had a violent disagreement with me. In 2024, it was so consistently smooth, cramming great pops of floater all around its layout that I could now enjoy without phasing out the jackhammering. It made a serious case for number 1 in the park for me.
I got 3 night rain rides on The Beast back in June earlier this year!
The best time of year is when Chris starts to recap over the season.
Skyrush is actually one that shot far down my list. It did seem rougher, and I actually find the new lap bars more painful than the old ones. Leg crushing doesn't hurt me at all, but the new lap bars put pressure on my groin instead. Plus, the old restraints allowed for a more open & out of control feeling. Skyrush went from top 20 to out of my top 50.
The most significant one that shot up my list would be El Toro, as it went from out of my top 20 to easily my favorite woodie & favorite Intamin. Other big moves up my list in no particular order:
Raging Bull
X Flight
Storm Runner (almost my favorite at the park)
Thunderbolt at SFNE (new # 3 at the park)
Comet at Great Escape (I forgot how good it is)
Predator at Darien Lake (so much better with the titan track)
I feel the same way, groin pain with the new restraints, and the forces weren't as good with the new lapbars. Also it is a lot shakier now
Interesting that you had Superman as smoother this year, as I felt the opposite. Ragin Cajun though, I was flabbergasted how crazy that spin goes.
As someone who had SFA as their home park for 20+ years. I can confirm that's a sleeper hit. Easily my favorite spinner (I've ridden)
Only been to Kentucky Kingdom one time but Storm Chaser is a good ride. A bit short but a good ride and the line was pretty short for it when I was there. Not as good as Blue Lightning but better than any other coaster there by a large margin.
Storm Chaser seems to be affected a lot by the weather. People who've ridden on a warm day absolutely rave about it, but who rode on a cold day doesn't get the hype. Most coasters in general are not running well on cold days, but somehow Storm Chaser especially changes a lot.
I worked at KK this summer, storm chaser was running very slow to start the season, then we switched out wheels and it was hauling the rest of the season
Surprised not to see Griffon get a mention, if only because of its unexpected fall (or, should I say, dive) off the charts last year.
6:30 Wait till you try Toutatis!
Just gonna go ahead and say it, Thunderhead is better than Lightning Rod at Dollywood now, and it's not even close. Thunderhead was truly a masterpiece one more when I marathoned it in September, so many amazing floater and was truly hauling the entire time. When GCI gets it right, it's truly special.
Can't necessarily agree with Runaway Mine Train since that's honestly in my bottom 5 coasters (probably partly because it's not tall people welcoming so it just hurt the entire time) but glad ya enjoyed it!
TOTALLY agree about Thunderhead. I rode both Thunderhead and Lightning Rod (launched) in late 2021, and believed Thunderhead was better even back then! It's that coaster's tight, relentless pacing and long layout that just really sealed the deal for me!
Too bad about Runaway Mine Train. Even got 2 rides to confirm it was awesome
I’d also give it to Thunderhead personally, I had no expectations for it when I first went to Dollywood back in April, and it absolutely blew me the hell away and I rode it 4 times in a row thanks to TimeSaver. LR is still amazing and also had me getting right back in line, but I knew what I was getting into with it, and it sadly doesn’t have the launch anymore to boot
Got my first ride on Scream last week and was very, very pleasantly surprised given the fact that I've heard nothing but people clowning on that ride for years. That said, parking lot setting does not do it any favors 😆
For me was scorpion at Busch gardens Tampa before it closed forces were great and it was way smoother than my rides a couple years ago.
Nitro is the most underrated night ride ever. It is totally pitch black
I love Wild Eagle. It was my first wing coaster. I will say that Gatekeeper beats it, but it's still a great coaster. Thunderhead is the wildest woodie I have ever been on. Pantheon is number 3 on my coaster list. Number 2 if you count only coasters that are still around. I used to love Vortex, but since I've gotten older, I don't like it as much. Still not the worst coaster I'ver ever been on though. Far from the worst! 😂 The Beast was amazing in my opinion! One of my favorite wooden coasters I've ever been on. I'm a front rider on all coasters, so that's what I'm basing my ranks from.
I LOVE your videos. Need more Amy on trains.
I rode 40 new coasters but no rerides this year, so I'll say a few things about some of these:
I really like Galaxy Spin, so Rajun Cajun looks awesome
14 - I'm a big Nighthawk fan, so I really want to ride Batwing
12 - Need to reride Wild Eagle now that I've been on GateKeeper and Thunderhead
10 - Thunderhead is great!
8 - Rode Vortex once and it was actually alright. Not great, but not nearly as bad as people say. I did ride the front, so that might have something to do with it
7 - Nitro looks like Goliath and I'm really excited to ride this someday!
4 - Rode Storm Chaser this summer and it wasn't as powerful as people say, but it was still a lot of fun. Great airtime!
3 - Never rode the original trains on SkyRush, but these lap bars actually kind of hurt me, so I can't imagine what they were before. Also, yeah it's really rough. I tried middle seats but I still got rattled to death.
1- The Beast the best the Beast the best the Beast!
Maybe I'll get to visit Dollywood next year and reride some things... or SeaWorld, idk, we'll see
Maverick for me! I jumped from 5’1-5’8. DANG THAR RIDE!👑
#7-#1
KI was my home park growing up, so The Beast holds a special place in my heart. I lone for an opportunity to ride it without trim brakes just once.
A fantastic list. Finally the Skyrush hate crush might be coming to an end!!!
I was amazed how intense Runaway Mine Train was. Definitely the best one I've ridden. Hydra sucked. Good elements but too rough. Storm Chaser was my first RMC and I love it. My first ride on Skyrush was great. But I got a wing seat on the second ride, and it rattled my brain. Nitro has an awesome layout. I didn't care for The Beast the first time I rode it back in 2011. But I returned last year and I freaking love it now.
man i can dream, it's been my mission to ride over 300 coasters and i haven't even reached 100 yet, im still at 83. i envy guys like you Chris. you don't know how good you got it , i still can't believe i only have 83 credits . i literally dream of riding them but something comes up , it baffles me how you can afford to ride all these. ever thought of doing like a special giveaways so you can make one of the unfortunates dream come true. i'd work so hard just to make it out to great Adventure i was going to ride KA in August but unfortunately stuff came up and so i'll never got to go and will never be able to ride KA and GL.
Where do you live? Sometimes it's a matter of being too far away from parks and not money. I grew up in Maryland in the 90s so I had 7 major growing and rapidly expanding parks within a 3 hour drive of my house, plus several large parks by the Atlantic Ocean in Maryland and New Jersey. The mid Atlantic is the best place to live in the country for sheer volume and number of roller coasters, Maryland in particular because it is sandwiched between New Jersey Pennsylvania and Virginia and not too far from New York Ohio and New England. If you don't believe me add up the number of roller coasters on RCDB from Maine to Virginia out to Ohio and there are easily several hundred within a day's drive of where I grew up. That's not true anywhere else in the country even if you have the money to visit. You have to put in a lot more time and effort and planning even with the money to get to the parks like Chris's multi week trips from Tulsa to the East Coast to visit all the parks that I have spent most of my life until the past few years a day or a half day drive or even less to travel to and visit. Cost is only part of it, logistics and proximity are a big part as well even when one can afford it. I have been very blessed to have visited as many water parks and amusement parks as I have visited in my 44+ years of life so far. God willing my next big trip and multi park visit is July 2025 coaster crew Japan. I pray from my mouth to God's ears! 😁
Of course two years after I move away from Hershey they make Skyrush truly elite.
I guess at least I was among its fans and got to take advantage of the lack of lines 2020-2022? (Record for me was 11 laps without leaving the station on a cold November Sunday evening for its final rides of 2020)
YAS!!! NEW CONTENT!!!
Happy to see The Beast at #1 !!! A coaster I only started riding two years ago but I absolutely love it. That park just has such a stacked line up that The Beast could easily be someone's #5 coaster in the park. For some it's #1. For me it's #3. Great coaster at a great park!
@@vegasstafford9061Yup! #5 for me behind Mystic Timbers and the 3 B&Ms, and it's not even close for me because those 4 are so much smoother than beast even after the massive 2022 retrack/rebuild.
Wild Eagle is my guilty pleasure so to see it on this list makes me so happy lmao it’s in my top 3 but to be fair I only have around 30ish credits
I rode the Beast for the first time in probably 30 years back in October 2022. It was much rougher than it had been, but I actually got my first night ride and was blown away. Then, they retracked before the 2023 season and I was so much smoother than the year prior. Top three operational coasters for night rides for me. My other two are Steel Vengeance and Phantom’s Revenge. No order there: The coasters are so fundamentally different that, for me, each is in its own category.
Sadly, the Villain is no longer around. We rode that in the dark on a foggy October night and it was absolute perfection.
Nemesis Inferno. First couple of times I rode it I couldn’t help but compare it to the original Nemesis, this time going in I managed to put that out of my head and had a great time (and of course watched that episode of The Inbetweeners when I got back to the hotel).
I'm happy to see this! I always enjoy Inferno when I go on it, and am often sad to see the hate it gets as I genuinely think it's a good ride!
SKYRUSH ON THUMBNAIL AHHHHHHHHHHH
My only trip to Magic Mountain was in August 22. It was insanely hot but the lines weren't bad. SCREAM jackhammered so much it gave me a bad headache that nearly ruined my day. Apocalypse, Ninja and Viper were all closed. Super bummed i missed both classic Arrows because they will likely be gone before I'm able to get back out there.
Even at my home park my opinions change all the time. X-Flight moved back up on my list, Viper moved up a bit, and since I got to ride both sides of American Eagle on the same day for the first time, I realized that they are two completely different rides. The red side is amazing, while the blue side has a couple good moments but is otherwise lackluster. In the past I usually ranked whichever one I rode last ahead of the other, but the red side is something like 10-15 spots ahead of the blue side on my list
5.5 years of working with steel coasters will tell me that train maintenence is key. We know that is train is do for some love when it would rattle you brain out, proving you wrong when it got some love and making it smooth again. And every train has it persenalety. No mater what, on my coaster train 1 would always rattle and train 2 was smooth. No mater who would do the maintence, the park or the manefacturer, the best machanic or not. Train 1 always had a rattle and 2 was smooth
We got on Storm Chaser this year, and rode it around noon. Wow, it was amazing. Nobody was in line, we rode in the back twice without getting off the ride.
I just revisited SFMM this weekend, and the two coasters that shot up for me were riddler and viper. I always loved viper and found it underrated, but it was even better on this trip. It's very much so shot up my rankings. As for riddler, I really hated it last year when I first rode it. It was stupid intense and I didn't know how to brace myself for those elements. This year, I found a method, and now it's the best standup I've ridden by far. That layout is phenomenal. I will say, it was a tad rougher than I remember, but that didn't take away from the ride.
Batwing and Nighthawk both jumped in my rankings this year. Batwing for the reason you did.
I've always had nighthawk near the bottom because it was almost never worth riding. Every time I go on a home park run, I skip Nighthawk because it never seems to have less than a 40 minute wait. I'd get off the ride nitpicking it because I had to wait that long for it. However, I went on a random Friday this fall and it was a walk-on. After 3 laps, I started appreciating it and its quirks. I am now neutral about it sticking around.
On the Beast:
I got my last ride back in 2023 and I felt the ride was great….until the Helix. For some reason the helix beat me up. But I enjoyed the rest of it and it was a point of pride having lost the weight I had. I didn’t get to ride it in 2024 and that’s ok, but hopefully I will get another ride and hopefully this ride, which was opened the year I was born (16 days after may I add), will redeem itself. I can only hope.
The Beast is a perfect ride! The respect is finally here!
As Nitro is my home park, I have had good rides and great rides over the last 20+ years (never an outright bad one), but the night rides, or even later in the day, were always the best. Love your love for Phoenix at Knoebel's - we only just got there in 2023 and had one PERFECT ride in the back row on a hot day with a full train... talk about standing up in your seat! Those restraints make that ride EPIC.
I really loved Batwing when we rode it in 2018, it was way smoother than I expected, and a more unique experience than the B&M flyers. Can't wait to get back on Skyrush with the new restraints (I always found it overrated anyway but now I have to eat my words and try it again!).
I'm rambling cuz we just had a last-minute trip to visit a friend in the Carolinas, so finally got on Fury 325 and Copperhead Strike for the first time, getting two rides on each - and I'm still elated over both. I can't imagine how insane those must be on a hot summer day, but I was thrilled to finish out December with two coasters I didn't have on my Bingo card for the year. Last time I was at Carowinds was over 30 years ago when the Carolina Cyclone was my first looping coaster!
... So... I wasn't supposed to be a person who thought SkyRush was anything but overrated. But after my rides a couple months ago with the new refresh, I've definitely been converted! I'm still not a fan of the overly-extreme airtime, but the coaster has great momentum all the way through. And I was able to enjoy my rides comfortably, even on wing-seats! It's amazing what all simply changing the restraints can do!
Also, they did a great job leaning into the new "Fly First Class" theme in the station. The new lighting and sound effects really enhance the atmosphere and feeling of anticipation!
They had a fog machine running at the bottom of the second drop of The Beast when I rode it in October. Not sure if it was a permanent thing or if they only had it there for the Halloween season, but it was a nice little touch.
Prowler was my big winner this year and shot back into my top 25. The layout is just so forceful and every airtime hill hits on that thing!
Ive still never gotten a great ride on that
@AirtimeThrills it was a hot day in June when I went but that thing was flying, my second favorite GCI now only behind Goldstriker
I love The Beast so much because for me it's like if you put a nice scenic railway like an antique train in the middle of 2 crazy rides (the start and the helix finalie which is insane like you said). also yes Ragin' Cajun and Pantheon are both also goated. honestly it's a bit of a toss up for me between velocicoaster and Pantheon. I feel like they're 2 halfs of the same coin, like Panthon is the big / graceful version and Velocicoaster is the small / nimble version of the same ride. backwards speed hill is crazy good on Pantheon and Mosasaurus Roll is crazy good on Velocicoaster
Yeah. I've always felt Wild Eagle and Scream were far better than they were given credit for. Glad to see the Lagoon representation too :-) Roller Coaster is indeed fun, and even better now that it has Millennium Flyer trains! Spider is good too, although for me Ride to Happiness is tops for spinners.
Bro I rode Hydra in 2019 and it KILLED my head. Wonder if maintenance fixed anything? Runaway Train is a classic.
Airtime thrills: “Pantheon is one of the best roller coasters in the world”
Toutatis: “wait’ll they get a load of me!”
I rode Hydra this year and liked it too! Glad to know I'm not nuts. lol.
Prairie Screamer. Where does it rank with SFOT just up the street?
Rode 308 different coasters this year. Been on 179 of them before. Here are ones that moved up in my rankings.
Taron (phantasialand)
Kondaa (Walibi Belgium)
Mako (sea world Orlando)
Wodan (Europa park)
Montu (Busch gardens Tampa)
Thunderhead (Dollywood)
Prowler (worlds of fun)
Mamba (worlds of fun)
Joris en de draak (Efteling)
Colorado adventure (phantasialand)
Gemini ( cedar point)
Nitro ( six flags great adventure )
Beast (kings island)
Lost coaster (Indians beach)
Eurosat can can coaster (Europa park)
Runaway mountain (six flags over Texas)
Joker’s jinx (six flags America)
Revenge of the mummy (us Florida)
Calamity mine (Walibi Belgium)
Runaway mine train (six flags great adventure)
We have some overlap for sure.
Yesss team Runaway Mine Train
YAY FOR THE MUMMY FLORIDIAN HERE
Only got one trip to Six Flags Great Adventure this year. The only ride that really shot up was the Jersey Devil coaster. Last time I went, it was new and they were still figuring it out. And it may have been running slow. I was also in a very weird headspace at the time. So I didn't really enjoy it.
This time though it was much more fun. It felt faster and I was in a better mood. So I was able to enjoy it more. Is it fantastic? Not really. But it was much better than I initially gave it credit for.
JDC didnt move the needle much for me and i gave it a real decent shake this year
Some rides that shot up for me are Magnum XL 200 at Cedar Point, Poltergeist and Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Steel Eel at SeaWorld San Antonio, X2 and Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Ghost Rider and Silver Bullet at Knott's Berry Farm.
Not surprised with Nitro. I rode it in the back on a 95 degree day this summer, and during the helix I actually greyed out. It was hauling INSANE ass this summer.
An Airtime Thrills video with Skyrush in the thumbnail? Clicked it as soon as I saw it
Kind of funny that you had scream on this list because for me it shot down in my rankings I got a really good ride in 2023 but I just ride it 3 weeks ago and it was really rough
Here for the Nitro love!
Rerides are SO important. I still need a redemption ride on Skyrush at Hershey Park of all rides actually 😂 the first ride I had on it was ridiculously bumpy. Idk if I got unlucky and caught a train that was about to go in for a wheel replacement or what, but the rattle was so nasty I couldn’t even enjoy the scenery because I could barely see it 😂😂 it didn’t feel as forceful as I was expecting either. I didn’t end up coming back to it that day cuz the highlight of that trip for me was Wildcat’s Revenge, as it was my first RMC and my 50th credit milestone. I absolutely loved WCR and when push came to shove, I said I’d rather get more rides on the cat rather than Skyrush, which I barely enjoyed haha. I’m hoping to give it a well deserved redemption ride the next time I’m there haha I really want to enjoy it
Viper at sfgam went from being janky and ok airtime, to great airtime and mostly smooth
Depends where you sit for sure
Skyrush was the opposite for me unfortunately. My most recent ride was last year before they changed the restraints and I felt like it was lacking the bite it once had. I really don’t have any coasters that shot up in my rankings, most are exactly how I remember them
VERY happy to see The Beast get some love. I still think it’s the best night ride in the country. Only rival I’ve done is Ghostrider.
@@ATNProductions82 Ghostrider is an awesome night ride which is weird since its setting is so blah
Airtime thrills video with a skyrush in thumbnail, instant click
Grizzly at Kings Dominion moved up on my list. It was on my worst list in 2019. Thunder Striker also moved way up. In 2022, it was meh. It is now my second favorite B&M Hyper. Copperhead Strike moved up as well. I also rerode Vortex and had a similar experience.
Im excited for grizzly next year
I am a local at Great Adventure. Never understood what the Nitro hype was about. I never got any real airtime on the first two hills and not much on that finale. I could ride it on a hot night with a full train and over an inch of room and my but doesn’t go up much. In my opinion, Goliath at SFOG is the ride people swear Nitro is, while it’s more like Apollo’s Chariot.
Nitro proved it was still good this year. Beforehand i wasnt so sure
The comment of the video..."It makes you wonder WHO designed it...and if they're qualified for the job" (Prairie Screamer). 😅😂
I unfortunately missed nitro in 2022 on my first visit, got to it this year and it was just good. Not great but just good. I found my rides on a hot August day in 2024 comparable to intimidator from 2019, or apollos chariot over some of its better years. But I personally preferred many other hypers over it still. And I’ve heard my opinion is in the minority. Also glad about storm chaser, there was maybe a 2 week period where it was kind of weak but for the most part it was running bonkers this year.
I’m glad the Beast warmed its way into your heart.
Really shocked to see SCREAM!, on here. I went to magic mountain 3 days ago, and jeez, that was the ROUGHEST RIDE IN THE PARK, that dy. Viper+Riddler's Revenge helped my headache, weirdly.
At the beggining, why is griffon going backwards?
Yeah, I don't remember the shin guards most of the ride either. It was fine, could take Batwing over it depending on the day
Skyrush wasn’t rough for me, the layout just isn’t that great, I’m still not really a fan. But all the six flags America stuff was really good for me this year, ragun spins sooo much. Also nitro is AMAZING
I’m glad Nitro is getting the respect it deserves. It’s so good, it has been my favorite in GA for a long time.
Rare airtime thrills not hating skyrush moment
Gracious
What coaster show down in your rankings?
Come back Thursday
@@AirtimeThrills can’t wait
Crazy how much coasters can vary riding them on different days! Makes you wonder if there are rides you don’t like because you just got one bad ride on it