Most Influential Woodie

Since in my other topics I saw I think all steel. Let's dedicate one to wooden coasters. Which one is most influential ever?

I would have to say The Raven. Not only did this coaster really set off CCIs amazing career, it did something else huge. This coaster proved that money wasn't where a popular coaster was at. Height, length , and speed didn't matter anymore. It was how the coaster all came together that counted. Too bad I haven't ridden this baby yet, in two years I should get the chance to grace this classic.

BTW, try to pick one coaster, don't say, anything made by CCI(although I wanted to say that myself!).

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Coasters- a little slice of heaven

It hasn't done anything yet but SOB will probably spur wooden hypers, inversions, and who else knows what. :)

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What is life without geniuses?

Not to sound like a broken record, but the Coney Island Cyclone takes the cake. It is the most famous coaster on this planet, and it almost single-handedly saved the rest of Coney Island, along with many other coasters from destruction by keeping interest alive.

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Everybody calm down, the coasters do not open for another fifteen minutes.

I'm not so sure about the "Son", but The Beast is kicking butt 21 years later--heck it's old enough to drink.

LOL

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What is life without geniuses?

The Rocket at Playland in San Antonio, Texas for one reason. It's the first woodie to be rescued from a defunct park. Before the Rocket was moved no one ever attempted to relocate a woodie. Look at some of the great rides that were saved from the wrecking ball once Knoebels proved it could be done. Wild One at SFA, Skyliner at Lakemont Park, Comet at Great Escape about a dozen more are slipping my mind at the moment. All these would have met the same fate as the CI Thunderbolt if it wasn't for the Rocket sitting abandoned in Texas.

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2000 stats: 135 coasters in 26 parks
Not Too Shabby For A Summer

AOL & MSN IM Name: coasterpunk *** This post was edited by coasterpunk on 12/7/2000. ***

CI Cyclone all the way!!!

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Six Flags Great America #1 Park!!!

Even though the ride today is far from anything spectacular, I have to say the PKI Racer. When it was installed in 1972, this coaster single-handedly rejuvinated interest in wooden coasters.

The 40's 50's and 60's were pretty mediocre years in terms of roller coasters. Only the occasional Comet, Mister Twister, or Thunderbolt were built. Coasters, it seemed, were entertainments of the past. Particularly in the early 70's, it looked like wooden roller coasters (since the invention of tubular steel track) were dying. The opening of Kings Island and the Racer changed that, rejuvinating national interest in amusement parks and wooden coasters.

Just look at all the Racer copies that were built later in the decade (Rebel Yell, Rolling Thunder, and even to some degree, the American Eagle) and the slew of John Allen out-and backs that were built in the 70's. What these rides did was prove that wooden coasters have a special quality that steel just can't match, and wooden coasters continued to prosper even through the advent of the inversion in steel coasters.

Even though it doesn't look like much today, the Racer was a big deal when it was built in 72, and because of it, we can enjoy our CCI's today. Without the Racer, wooden coasters just may have faded into becoming a thing of the past.
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Coasters...the best natural buzz available.
*** This post was edited by MooreOn on 12/7/2000. ***

I'd have to agree on the Racer - in fact, it's almost passed as a "fact" that it is the most influential (at least in the last 70 years) in almost every written history of coasters.

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Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill.

I don't think SoB is going to spawn a bunch of hyper-woodies with inversions. It got too mixed of reviews - with wooden coasters the world has been shown time and time again that BIGGER is certainly not BETTER.

-Natalie
CP Ride Operations '99-'00

I don't know if "bigger is certainly not better," but I can agree that it's not necessarily better. Some big wooden coasters get good reviews, such as the Texas Giant.

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How dare you vanquish the Steel Phantom without his consent? Fear the Phantom's Revenge.

I am going to go with CCi's first, Outlaw. Even though i have not had the chance to ride it when i first saw a picture of it I knew that a new breed of wooden coasters was emerging.

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#1 Steel-Incredible Hulk
#1 Wood--Timber Wolf

CCI's first was the Sky Princess at Dutch Wonderland 1992. Outlaw was 1993.

I would say the Crystal Beach Cyclone.

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So you want a coaster in your backyard? I hope you have a big backyard.

TIMBER WOLF
-stole the #1 spot from Magnum XL-200



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Come on baby light my fire! -SDC01
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I would have to say, of the ones still staninding, outlaw, the beast, and the O.G. cyclone are all the most influential in their own way.

Let's not forget the Thunderbolt at Kennywood. It proved that there was still a demand for coasters when a great many people in the business were about to write them off.

I'm going to say PGA's Grizzly. It was the first wooden coaster that demonstrated how NOT to build a woodie!

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Have you ever gotten the feeling that you've been here before? Six Flags Magic Mountain 2001...

Leap The Dips at Lakemont

Hey lets not forget the two Giant Dippers in California
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Steel Coasters
#1 Stealth-PGA
#2 Flashback-SFMM
#3 Whizzer-RIP PGA
#4 Mind Bender-WEM
#5 Drachen Fire-BGV

SoB is, unfortunately, going to influence other lawsuits against a ride being too rough. It's a shame what is happening... pretty soon we won't be allowed to ride amusement rides.