Intimidator 305 finally made the top 100

::Exhales in relief:: :)

Finally got a ride on intimidator yesterday, and I have to say I was disappointed. I experienced grey outs all the times I rode it, and what I found interesting is it wasn't just the first turn. Right before the third airtime hill I felt the grey out creeping on me again. I love extreme coasters, but just may have meet my match. I was so focused on doing the clinch technique that I really couldn't enjoy the ride, and still got bad tunnel vision every time I rode. I enjoyed 18 rides in a row on voyage without my butt moving from the seat in may, I lasted 4 on intimidator. Call me crazy, coming close to blacking out isn't a good or fun experience.

Sad to say this coaster in the current state doesn't even make my top 10, and was no where near the ride I got on Millie last week.

I really appreciate your input Degado. Sustaining G force has been a big topic around here the past year. I find it really interesting that you were "greying out" along the third hill. Im not a physicist by any means, however the pressure this coaster puts on riders during the first turn compared to other rides is bewildering to me. TTD drops four twenty out of the air and then pulls out really nicely. I cant perceptually recognize any greying out whatsoever on TTD, its actually a wonderful sensation. I experience some greying out on millie depending on the seat, though its a substantially smaller drop. :S

I agree greying out is not a good experience. I want to see and feel what i am doing, not go partially unconscience.

Rode it 5/31. Still greyed out on the first turn but not as long. The ride seemed to be rougher and have more vibration than most steel speed coasters. Tried it twice and that was enough. Overall not a very pleasant ride. Their investment would have been better spent building a re-rideable coaster with a smaller drop. 300 ft is good hype, but on this one it does not make a good ride experience.

That low first turn needs to go. Should be a high overbank there instead.

It has a lot less to do with the drop or speed and a lot more to do with the radius of the turn and most importantly, duration of the turn.

I was able to ride it 3 times yesterday. I rode twice in the front row and once in the back seat. Loved it. There is no question, the back is far more intense than the front. While that is often the case on coasters, it is a notable difference on I305 in my opinion. Here are my thoughts about what's been said:

Greying Out: I definitely greyed out each time I rode. In the front, I only experienced it on the first turn. It was far more significant the first time I rode than the second. From the back, I had a second experience with it, but I couldn't tell you where exactly it happened as I wasn't expecting it. From the conversations I had with others in line and in overhearing people talking about it, the greying out experience only seems to be amping people up more for the ride. It becomes a badge of courage to have ridden the coaster that "makes people black out" when they ride. Or for those who don't experience it, they see themselves as even more of a ride warrior. I don't think it's hurting the experience for most and may even be adding to it.

Restraints: These soft restraints are a win for this coaster. There were a few turns we took where I was fully aware that had the harder restraints been there, there would have been pain. Some of the turns are that intense. But these restraints are comfortable, they keep your body from flailing side to side on those turns, and it doesn't seem to hurt anyone when the neck hits from the inside. Well done.

Water: They were spraying the wheels in the station, but I didn't experience any blue goo as a result. We did feel a splash each time we left the station, but it wasn't an issue.

Rough/Vibrations: I didn't experience any roughness or vibrations. I am usually pretty tuned into vibrations on a steel coaster as I prefer my rides to be smooth as butter and this one definitely felt smooth to me. It is intense. There is no question about that. But I couldn't in fairness call it rough and I didn't feel any vibrations.

All things considered, this coaster seems like a win to me for the park. People seem to love it. The adjustments that have been made seem to be preserving the excitement, while not sacrificing comfort. It was definitely a favorite for us and I would rank it in my top 5 favorite coasters.

Sounds like you and I had similar experiences, albeit mine were opening day last year before the restraint change. I loved I305, and it's right up there with Millennium Force as my #1 or #2 steel. It's just a fun ride.

Or for those who don't experience it, they see themselves as even more of a ride warrior.

I think you're onto something here...this could be a great ad campaign for Cedar Fair. :)

For what it's worth, lots of movement on the Top 100 this week.

I305 seems to have gone up a couple spots. I thought it only went back and forth. :)

^^For some reason, I thought I'd find Voyage dropping out of the top spot...it wasn't even my favorite at HW this past weekend (might take a few weeks for the general consensus to reflect its current condition).

Be interesting to see if people adjust their ratings accordingly, Gator. It'd be nice to know people keep on top of that.

Vater, shut up. :)

I just now got around to shuffling some of my rankings. I'd previously had Raven as 3/5 and Legend as either 1 or 2, I forget. But now they're both 4's. I decided to leave Voyage where it is, without giving it too much thought.

Speaking of too much thought, my thinking on a lot of these is that I'm just looking for a good ride. Previously, I wouldn't have said Legend was capable of that, but some track work and finding a seat I like changed my opinion drastically. It's really no different than my unusually high ranking of CP's Blue Streak, which came about because I discovered the 2nd-to-last row. If I were to rate the last row of Legend, it would be in the basement, but nonetheless the coaster *is* capable of delivering a ride I enjoy. :)

Lord Gonchar said:
Vater, shut up. :)

:-)

Dude, you just stole my response. And why are you responding to Gonch telling me to shut up, anyway? With a contented-looking smiley, no less? :)

:)

Why is Tatsu not in the top 100... could that be right? It would have to be from not enough votes but that seems hard to believe.

Only about 8% of visitors worldwide to CB are from California, so I'm not entirely surprised.