Inversions becoming a thing of the past???

So, I was thinking today... We're starting to see a lot of hyper coasters out there, as well as the Intamin LIM coasters and such. What do you think? Are trends in Coaster building going away from so many inversions? Consider the following from RCDB...

10 of the 14 tallest roller coasters in North America have no inversions.

12 of the 14 fastest roller coasters in North America have no inversions.

11 of the 12 highest drop roller coasters in N.A. have no inversions,

10 of the 13 longest roller coasters in N.A. have no inversions.

So, are people more interested in speed or are they more interested in inversions? Granted, I know that inversions typically don't work well with high speed coasters, for obvious reasons. Looping coasters are still being built regularly, but, look at Phantom's Revenge for example. Kennywood just took all the inversions out. So, does that say something. Given the fact that we are seeing so many speed coasters out there, are inversions becoming a thing of the past?

Let the arguments begin...

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"Getting on Iron Wolf is kind of like going in a blender and pressing PUREE"

basically, most of the coasters that would be in that list would be hyper coasters which just simply dont contain inversions, so i dont think you can say that inversions are on the way out, just hyper and gigas are becoming more popular

Inversions are still coming. Its just that the tall long and fast coasters are made for speed and airtime, not inversions. There are plonty of rides still being built with inversions. Also Ssteel phantom's inversions were removed because the ride was too rough and they wanted to mak a better more fun ride.

OK...

If more hypers and gigas are being built, doesn't that suggest that less coasters with inversions are being built? Since only a certain number of coasters are built each year, the argument can be made that less coasters with inversions are being built. I guess what I'm ultimately asking is... where are the trends in coaster building going? With the increased popularity of the hyper, giga, LIM, etc, and given the general roughness of an inversion, are we going to be seeing more coasters with no inversions?

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"Getting on Iron Wolf is kind of like going in a blender and pressing PUREE"

I think the fad is dying! People are realising that going upside down multiple times is just not as fun as traversing huge hills.

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You're so contagious, you turn ma pages!

I think each type has its pros and cons, and it certainly seems to me too that the current trend is towards height and speed. Many of the parks were saturated with inversion-filled coasters during the past 10-15 years. Now is the time for speed.

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"Looks like you've been missing quite a bit of work lately"
"Well, I wouldn't say I've been MISSING it, Bob."

This question was obviously posed by a person who's never been on BGT's Kumba.

Seven wild inversions--a twisting loop over the lift hill, a sweet curling dive loop, an inline twist, a cobra roll, interlocking corkscrews and a face-flattening helix with plenty of speed left over. Height of lift hill - 143 feet.

Why would anyone want a 200-foot looper? IMHO a looper should loop and a tall coaster should have big drops and speed. Get some world-class loopers under your belt--you'll understand.

-'Playa

The statistics you provide from RCDB don't make any sense. Of course the highest, tallest, longest, and fastest coasters are built for speed, not inversions. The coasters built for inversions top the inversion count, does that mean speed is out of style? Of course not.

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The legend lives!

Personally, I don't mind the trends (if there is such a thing), as I dislike looping coasters anyway. Pacing tends to get destroyed by loopers, IMHO, but as Coastaplaya says, there are some obvious examples that destroy my way of thinking, i.e. Kumba. It is a masterpiece.
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What is all the hoopla????

I think that your gimmick-type coasters (floorless, flying, etc) will always be inversion-laden. Since we're seeing more and more of these being built, we'll see more inversions. Simple.

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Proud CB club member

CoastaPlaya said:

This question was obviously posed by a person who's never been on BGT's Kumba.
-'Playa

This response was obviously posted by a person who has no idea what coasters I have been on and haven't been on. Kumba gave me a headache, but that's not the question.

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"Getting on Iron Wolf is kind of like going in a blender and pressing PUREE"

*** This post was edited by du8die on 5/8/2002. ***

Inversions aren't a thing of the past.

Exhibit 1: Colossus. With ten inversions, it seems like not everyone has lost interest.

I would expect more Intamin Looping Coasters, not to mention the perennially popular B&M's, all of which have inversions besides the speedcoasters.

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Xcelerator-
0-82 in 2.3 seconds! =Wow!

We're seeing a lot more inverting coasters than any other type. Looping coasters aren't about being the tallest and fastest and as seen in the past, inversion taken at extreme speeds are usually a pain in the neck.

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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

I think New England's new Batman woke a lot of people up to illustrate the point that size is not a prerequisite for a good looping coaster. I don't doubt that this trend will continue.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

But also, it is a proven fact that when a coaster has inversions, that automatically alienates 1/3 of guests from riding. Inversions intimidate folks, as do great heights and speeds.

I think We'll still see plenty of big coasters, but also believe that the focus will shift back to medium-small ones.

Honestly, if the industry does not step back and concentrate on "introductory" coasters then they will max out their potential in years to come.

Also parks hopefully will wise up and realize that not everyone that visits wants to ride the biggest or longest or fastest. Some want to ride something that will not scare them to death.

Cedar Point is a great example of this. They keep pushing the "extreme" limits of their coasters. But many who are novices and attend CP are reluctant to ride anything because it is so overwhelming. Think of those folks that are intimidated to ride the likes of, say, Blue Streak. If they are apprehensive of it, then just imagine how narrow their choices are at CP.

Out of all the parks I can think of, only one park in-particular has recognized this and stuck with it. They are perhaps the smartest park addition wise, yet 99% of enthusiasts fault them for never "adding anything good." The park? Paramounts Canadas Wonderland.

Shaggy

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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.

Well...Since I think big hills would probably get boring after a while, pople will go back to inversions.

IMO.....

Loopers will continue to come, and hypercoasters will continue to come. but if you really pay attention, it all depends on how many of what kind are being built....

for instance. your B&M's are both popular yet more expensive than the rest, therefore less parks can afford them. and at the same time, you see more of the inversion types come from B&M.

however, the ever growing mass of intamin rides are cheaper, yet 3/4 of them are aimed towards speed.

while i care for speed and airtime over inversions, i highly doubt inversions will ever go out. the 4-D concept has just been introduced and the flying isnt too old either.

this isnt a question of whats popular or not, its mainly who builds them(IMO). seriously, B&M is a favorite company of many, but more intamin rides are being built. they are cheaper, and their rides are being produced alot.

those are my opinions. -matt

*** This post was edited by coasterdude04 on 5/8/2002. ***

I wonder what more people are intimidated by? Inversions or Height ?

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"Looks like you've been missing quite a bit of work lately"
"Well, I wouldn't say I've been MISSING it, Bob."

I would guess more are intimidated by height. MF looks a lot scarier than Corcscrew. :-)
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-Matt in Iowa
193 coasters ridden -- #1 Shivering Timbers
Just say no to Gerstlauer!

Inversions are not a thing of the past. As long as companys' make them smooth and comfortable, they are good. It really doesn't matter about speed or size because good things come in small packages, like Viper at SFGAm.