Incrediblecoasters - Top 10 Wooden Coasters

Top 10 Wooden Coasters List

Welcome to an Incrediblecoasters Top 10 List. When we list stuff, we actually explain why. Wooden Coasters. They have been around for practically forever. The first coasters that were ever built were wooden coasters and those became a huge hit. After the era of Russian Ice Slides, Rollercoasters slowly began to creep into the picture. The oldest rollercoaster I know of through my research is Rutschebanen, which opened at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1843. It however, did not last too long and was demolished in 1887. However, two years later, the Scenic Railway opened up at Coney Island and then, wooden roller coasters exploded. While at first, they were all small and puny like the Scenic Railway, they began to grow and soon, we got full sized classic wooden coasters. Hell, some of these rides are still with us up to this very day, and actually kick ass, as pictured right below us.

However, since steel coasters came in, they have been the star attraction at many parks, with the majority of the roller coasters in the world being steel coasters. When the general public thinks of wooden coasters, they know these facts and will usually say stuff like "Holy Sh*t! I can't believe they still make wooden coasters!!" or "Was this the first rollercoaster ever built?" However, despite the popularity of steel coasters and the general public's attitude on wooden coasters, woodies are continuing to thrive to this very day. Big name companies like Great Coasters International and the Gravity Group are redefining the way we think of wooden roller coasters by adding in all sorts of crazy elements such as many twisty bits, 90 degree turns, and all sorts of special effects. One element I am really curious in is the High Five, which is coming to that one Gravity Group Woodie in China. Hell, Intamin has taken up wooden coasters and defined them by actually cutting the wood in a factory and using special wood to give a smooth ride andallows for wooden coasters to really crazy things and still be glass smooth. Just a little sneak peek, you WILL be seeing El Toro on this list and as soon as I ride the worlds other 3 Intamin Woodies, I'm 99.9% sure they'll be on the list as well. Wooden Coasters come in all diffrent sizes. Ranging from cute kiddy coasters, to old timers, to classic out and backs, to Twisty GCIs. But which ones are the best? Which wooden coasters can provide you with the wildest and craziest ride? Well, I haven't ridden every wooden coaster in the world, so I can't answer that. I have however, been on a lot of wooden coasters and can tell you what the best woodies are out of all the one's I've ridden. So sit back and take a look at some of these creations that I am certain that any tree would be honored to have died for a cause as great as these woodies. These are the Top 10 Wooden Coasters.

#10.

Viper @ Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Illinois, U.S.A

While Viper is usually just passed off as just another Cyclone clone by many enthusiasts, there is just so much more to this ride. While it has many of the same elements as a Cyclone clone, there is much more to Viper. This ride has some really good laterals, great ejector air, and on top of all of that, this ride is as smooth as glass. Seriously, this isn't brutal like all the Cyclone Clones. You actually can throw your hands up and have a ball unlike on the Cyclone Clones where you have to hold on for dear life so you don't get the crap beaten out of you. And plus, this ride even has a double dip. And if you've ever experienced a double dip, you'll know that they are one of the secret ingredients that causes some extreme airtime. Now here's a litle warning. Viper needs some time to warm up before it can run all crazy. It's fun in the morning, but not Top 10 Worthy. That's something I had to wait 2 years to learn. But it's still a great ride. And to make things even better, Viper has no magic seat. Every seat will give you one wild ride. Viper. It may not look that tough, but man, can it bite.

#9.

Cornball Express @ Indiana Beach Monticello, Indiana, U.S.A

When you first look at Cornball Express, you would never expect that this is a Top 10 Coaster. I mean, it looks more like something that I would design in RCT rather than a real rollercoaster. However, looks can be decieving. This little ride actually has quite a lot of power. The ride's shoehorned nature allows for some very tight turns and quick changes of direction to give an out of control ride and of course, as everyone says, the ride has some really strong airtime. Though to be fair, the ride's crazy airtime doesn't start until the end. Because at first, I was wondering where all the crazy ejector air was, and it didn't come until the end of the ride in the final stretch when you go up over those hills where you least expect it. Now that is some powerful stuff. It provides one hell of a better ride than it's bigger brother Hooiser Hurricane next door, and continues to thrill people at Indiana Beach to this very day. Cornball Express. Proving that there really is more than corn in Indiana.

#8.

Prowler @ Worlds of Fun Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A

Now I'm sure many of you are quite aware of all the "PROWLER IS GOD!!!!!!!!!" jokes out there. And no, that is not true. Prowler is not god. But to give the ride credit, it really is a great ride, and my favorite GCI. Unlike most rides, Prowler is not really in the park, it goes out of the park and into the middle of nowhere. So when you first ride it at night and don't research the layout so you have no idea where you're going or what's going to happen, you're in for a wild ride. You twist in ways you didn't expect and get random pops of airtime that really take you by suprise. And to top it off, the ride is located in the middle of the forest where there are no lights on whatsoever, leaving you completely blind. (Oh, and when the onride photo flashes, the light is so bright that everything turns white and you go blind for a few seconds. But even in the day, it's still a great GCI that runs really well. Prowler. It may not be holier than though, but it sure deserves the #8 spot on this countdown.

#7.

Raven @ Holiday World Santa Claus, Indiana, U.S.A

As the first of the wooden trio at Holiday World, Raven is frequently mentioned as one of Holiday World's best rides. For years and years, it was ranked as the #1 coaster of all time. In fact, it wasn't until Holiday World built another certain wooden coaster that I will talk about later, that this ride was always voted #1 wooden coaster ever!!! So this proves that just because something is overrated doesn't mean that it's bad. Hell, Raven is overrated and it's still good enough for the #7 spot on this countdown. Now when I first rode Raven in the morning, it was tremendously overrated. It wouldn't have even made this list based on my morning ride. It was slow and sluggish then. But like so many other rides, just give it some time to warm up, and it can really take you for a wild ride. It definetly has an out of control feeling to it, and of course, the setting always helps. Raven. It's like riding a famous poem. A famous poem about sex and drugs!!!! (Ok, it's not about sex and drugs, but it would be better if it was.)

#6.

Comet @ Great Escape Lake George, New York, U.S.A

Comet has a very intersting history. It first opened up as the Crystal Beach Cyclone at Crystal Beach. Now apparently, the Crystal Beach Cyclone was apparently the most intenese roller coaster ever. Personally, it just sounds like the big overrated coaster of the 20s, a sort of retro Millenium Force, or Kingda Ka, or Beast. However, it then turned into the Crystal Beach Comet which was later moved to the Great Escape in the 90s. All I have to say is Thank you Great Escape for saving this ride as it really kicks ass. It kicks ass big time. With it's double out and back layout, Comet will leave you breathless the entire ride. The turns on this ride are more like the turns on a wild mouse and some of the airtime on this is pretty damn extreme. While the rest of the Great Escape isn't too great with mostly standard or mediocre rides, Comet is a fantastic ride that fits in beautifully with this park. Comet. It's more beautiful than anything the Kupiper Belt could ever produce.

#5.

Phoinex @ Knoebels Elysberg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A

Phoinex, like many other wooden coasters, has an interesting history. It first opened up as the Rocket in Playland, Texas. But then the park closed. A couple years later, Dick Knoebel of Knoebels said "We want to rebuild Rocket here at Knoebels." Then the guys at Playland said "You can't relocate a wooden coaster! It's impossible!!" Then Dick Knoebel said "Sure I can!!! Just watch." Then he relocated the ride to Knoebels and it lives on and thrills people today. However, while it may have an interesting history, it provides a far better ride. This ride has airtime, laterals, positive Gs, smiles, laughter, and smelly tunnels. Everything you could possibly want on a wooden coaster. The airtime on this I will admit, is kind of overrated as it only gets really really extreme in the second half. But still. This ride has standing up out of your seat airtime!! And that always leads for a top 10 coaster. It's a great coaster in a great park. Phoinex. It's just plain badass.

#4.

Voyage @ Holiday World Santa Claus, Indiana, U.S.A

Also located at Holiday World, the Voyage has been thrilling people since 2006 and has been voted the #1 coaster ever since. Just about everyone loves this ride. And it's not that hard to see why. The ride is big, long, fast, and intense. Its got 90 degree turns and throws you you around for a wild ride. Now when I rode it this year, it was a brutal ride. There was plenty of jackhammering and shuffling. But don't worry. Holiday World is taking care of this and will be adding Timberliner Trains onto the Voyage for 2012, which will give the Voyage a smoother ride (That is, unless they postpone it again until 2013). And to make this ride even better, if you thought this craziness only lasted a little while, you're mistaken. Voyage is one of the longest coasters in the world and while I don't know how long a ride is, I just know that it's a while for a rollercoaster. Voyage. It's far crazier than the Pilgrims could've ever experienced.

#3.

Coaster @ PNE Playland Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Many coaster enthusiasts have never even heard of Coaster. To them, this is just a puny little wooden coaster in a ghetto looking crappy park in the middle of Vancouver, where there are no other amusement parks near by. So why go there? 2 reasons. Vancouver kicks ass, and Coaster kicks even more ass. This ride is seriously f*cking amazing. It has some of the craziest ejector air out of any roller coaster. This isn't kids stuff here. We're talking full blown Phoinex status ejector air. Oh, and strong laterals while we're at it. Now to be fair, Coaster isn't underrated as everyone who has been on it gives it the very high reviews this ride deserves. It's just underriden as PNE Playland isn't exactly a roller coaster enthusiast destination. Well the park itself may not be that great, but Coaster is, and as one of the best wooden coastesr ever, it should be on every enthusiasts to do list. Coaster. It's so amazing that you don't even care that it's got a bland and boring name!! =)

#2.

Boulderdash @ Lake Compounce Bristol, Conneticuit, U.S.A

If you're looking at pictures of Boulderdash, there's not much to see. Most of the ride is hidden away in the forests of Conneticuit. And that alone makes the ride badass. I mean, the location of this ride doesn't even seem like an amusement park. It feels more like a cliff jumping spot. Seriously, I keep expecting something like the Cascade Ponds to simply flash by on the ride. And for all I know, maybe that really did happen. I was too busy enjoying the madness to notice, or care. However, unlike the Beast, another highly rated wooden coaster in an awesome location, this ride actually does crazy stuff and would still kick ass not in the forest. I mean, this ride is lightning fast, has rib smashing laterals, and some of the most extreme airtime ever. Oh, and if you're riding it at night, HOLY SH*T!!! I envy you so much you lucky bastards!!!!!! Boulderdash, hidden in nature, this gem shines through and truely shows its awesomeness.

#1.

El Toro @ Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, New Jersey, U.S.A

This ride is so f*cking awesome, that it's pointless to use words to describe it, but I will anyways because it'll make things a lot easier. Well first off, you just look at El Toro, and you can see that this is a monster of a wooden coaster. I mean this thing is so huge that it takes dumps the size of Coaster, which while it's also one of the best wooden coasters ever, doesn't even compare to El Toro. And all the stuff in Spots 10-6 don't even show up on the radar (How Six Flags Great Adventure expected the peice of sh*t Rolling Thunder to survive with El Toro next door is one of the biggest mysterys in the universe). All right, expectations are set high for El Toro. You didn't set the bar high enough. Along with having some truely extreme ejector that just gets crazier and crazier as demonstrated in the Rolling Thunder Hill, but this thing also has Maverick style turns, roaring fast speeds, and top of all that, is as smooth as glass. El Toro. It will rape you, and you will enjoy it.

So now I'm sure you know what you're thinking. "Wow. That was the list. That is so wrong." Well no. This is just the current list. I haven't been on every wooden coaster in the world, so until I do, this list is innacurate for a world wide description. There are still many many great wooden coasters out in the world that would instantly make this list. And even when I do ride all of them, rides will deteriorate, go bad, and new ones will be built, so no list will ever last forever. But still, this list does pay tribute to 10 fantastic wooden coasters that every roller coaster enthusiast should ride in their lifetime. And if you could tell, most of the rides on this list had similar qualities which appealed to my taste in wooden coasters. However, wooden coasters can come in many different styles and tastes for all sorts of people, enthusiasts or not, who have different tastes in woodies. There are still many other great woodies out there not on this list. Ones that I have ridden and know about and simply didn't make the cut, and ones that I haven't ridden yet and are just waiting to get into the Incrediblecoasters System. Either way, go out and ride a wooden coaster today. They really are a fun type of coaster.