Underrated and Least Hyped

When looking at everyone's thoughts on coasters that didn't live up their hype, I couldn't help but think of Boulder Dash, the least hyped, least talked about wooden coaster, that in my opinion is far better than any wooden coaster in the North East (with the exception of Comet at Great Escape, another great one with hardly any line). What are some other hidden gems you can hop on with no line?

Well I think you are very wrong, Yankee Cannonball has a short line and is really underated, its an awsome woodie filled with air time.

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Im the #1 Canobie Lake Park Fan!!!These are my top 3 coasters:
1. S:RoS @ SFNE 2. Yankee Cannonball 3. Cyclone

I haven't had a chance to ride that one yet, I live in Jersey, I do want to check out Silver Comet at Martin's Fantasy Island. If it's CCI, is gotta be good. Is Yankee Cannonball really as good or better than Boulder Dash?

Titan at SFOT was underhyped. It is most likely due to the fact that it is a clone of Goliath, except more intense. It features an extra helix and is longer. I find it hard to beleive that Goliath is more intense than Titan. I guess I will find out this summer! :)

Top Gun at Carowinds is very underrated.

Yankee Cannonball is not nearly as good as Boulder Dash. Yankee Cannonball doesn't bring up the speed until the second half of the ride because it is flooded with trims on the first half, mainly for larger operation and to make it more family oriented. In it's early years, that turn after the first hill had(used to be fan turn) great banking, airtime, and was considered best part of the ride. Now it is a flat turn with houses trims on the entrance. Now if Yankee Cannonball could return to its early state with its original elements, then you'd have a winning coaster. At present, it is like Blue Streak with trims on the first hill and the turnaround. Yankee Cannonball doesn't have short lines and great capacity like Boulder Dash with those fast ride operators that are so enthusiastic and let you reride(Lake Compounce follower of Holiday World). It is a good ride for the family, but offers only a fair amount of airtime and ow intensity. I'd say the thrill factor of Boulder Dash compared to Yankee Cannonball is about 2:7 meaning about 7 rides on Cannonball is equal to 2 rides on Boulder.

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Top Steels----------------Top Woodies
1.Steel Dragon 2000------1.Boulder Dash
2.S:RoS(SFNE)-----------2.Roar@SFMW

*** This post was edited by Vertigo on 4/21/2002. ***

I don't think Boulder Dash is anywhere *near* underrated, the thing took what? #2 in the Golden Tickets last year? It's a fantastic ride to be sure but most people are quite aware of it.

My pick for the most underrated ride currently is the Riverside Cyclone post re-profile. I've read so many posts from people ripping into the way this ride runs now and frankly, I think it's a bunch of crap :-) I went out to SFNE for the first time last summer and was blown away by the Cyclone to the point where I rode it many, many more times than the much more hyped SROS...don't get me wrong, SROS is a fine ride for a *steel* coaster but the Riverside Cyclone was start to finish insanity even if the first drop *is* "spoiled" as so many people seem to think, the thing still delivers "slammer" air on that initial drop and on several other spots. When you combine that with nasty laterals and out of control speed you have a huge winner in my book!
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* The Legend @ HW
* Superman: Ride of Steel @ SFNE
* Mondial Top Scan

Underrated coasters (in no particular order and, of course, in my opinion): Chang (SFKK), Viper (SFGAm), Zeus & Cyclops (Big Chief), Dania Beach Hurricane (Boomers), Exterminator (Kennywood), Iron Wolf (SFGAm), Disaster Transport (CP), Laser (DP).

-Nate

I found the GE Comet and Boulderdash to be disappointing. I rode the Comet in the rain and it had absolutely no airtime in the front or back of the train. I only rode it between 10am and 2pm, so maybe it was off to a slow start. We got bored and decided to go to SFNE, and man I'm glad we did as the Cyclone and Superman turned out to be fantastic.
The next day, we went to Lake Compounce and I rode Boulder Dash all afternoon until the park closed (8pm I think). The ride was fun, but there wasn't much air time at all. Some other enthusiasts said it seemed to be running slower than they remembered from their previous visit. Anyway, it was a big disappointment. The Comet and BD were supposed to be the highlight of my 10-day trip, and they turned out to be a let-down.

Speaking of Goliath, I found that to be not too spectacular as well. It was intense in terms of pulling G's, but little air time and not enough drops for me.

My vote for most under-hyped woodie is the Big Dipper at SFWoA. Man, that thing is packed with air time. The back of the train is insane. It's a top 10 woodie in my book.

Also, a brakeless night ride on the High Roller at Valley Fair is quite an experience. It's a night a day difference with the trims off.
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-Matt in Iowa
193 coasters ridden
#1 Shivering Timbers

I gotta agree with Viper at Six Flags Great America. A faboulous wooden coaster that doesn't get the attention that you think a ride of that quality would receive.

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Excalibur Crew for 2002!

Yes, Viper is a very amazing ride and how often do you hear about it? Very rarely. I was very impressed with that ride, and to think that Six Flags in house designed it blows me away!

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Titan Laps: 197
2002 SFOT Visits: 10

I'll second the Viper nomination as well. For those that are qualified to answer, how does it compare to the Georgia Cyclone and/or the Texas Cyclone? I'm not sure if I prefer it over the Coney or not...tough call.

And I agree on Cyclops as well. Intense ejector air!
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-Matt in Iowa
193 coasters ridden
#1 Shivering Timbers

Riverside Cyclone isn't underated, it lost its rating. Before Six Flags took over it was ranked 8th best woodie and had extreme bankings, fan turns, laterals, airtime, transitions, and not to mention what was called the best drop on any coaster at its present time. Well, if you talk to all the enthusiasts who came back to get another ride of the glory, you could see how upset everyone was. Six Flags tamed, trimmed, flattened, raised, and ruinned. It's an ok ride now, but the days we had with it are long gone thanks to the common case of Six Flags reprofiling golden coasters. Choked the Rattler, made a joke of Mister Twister, cut of the Texas Cyclone, and tamed the Riverside Cyclone. All the coaster can still deliver some thrills, but would you say they are underated or just nothing like what they used to be? The Thunderbolt remains in a much better state than Cyclone now. At least Six Flags didnt touch that, becuase if the Kennedys found out that their favorite coaster had been reprofiled, they squeeze the life out of Six Flags.

For me the most underated coasters would probably be Mamba(most underated hyper), Lincoln Park Comet(had to throw that in, but it seems like no one gives a care about it anymore.), Pyrenees(most underated B&M), any of the Cyclones except for Coney, Riverside, and SFMM. Then you also can say that at least half of the CCIs are underated, but that's because so many of the little or unheard parks are building thees gems that you don't hear much about them. A good example would be, Medusa at Six Flags Mexico(a little known park(only in the US and Canada) takes on the Six Flags name and builds a giant woodie. I thought it was an awsome ride. Was it underated? No, just not that many people get to Mexico.

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Top 5 Steels-------------Top 5 Woodies
1.Steel Dragon 2000------1.Boulder Dash
2.S:RoS(SFNE)-----------2.Roar@SFMW
3.Medusa WEST----------3.White Cyclone
4.Fujiyama---------------4.Regina
5.Pyrenees---------------5.Excalibur@Funtown

villian, sfwoa. most underrated.

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If your really evil in this life, do you come back as toilet paper????
ladies and gentlemen, due to an increase in line jumping, people caught cutting in line will no longer be ejected from the park. u will be ejected from the ride

Mamba at WOF is terribly underrated.

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A Vekoma SLC would do Nebraska wonders! :-)

Wood, Viper at SFGAmerica is very underrated. And in steel Montu isn't really underrated, but it's not very hyped at all.

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Montu, God Of Coasters

Raging Bull, Don't Fight It, Ride It

I never ever hear anyone on here mention the Skyliner at Lakemont Park in Altoona, PA. This woodie gives an extreme amount of airtime for a coaster of its small size. Everybody thinks the only good thing about this park is Leap-the-Dips, the oldest roller coaster in the world (which is a good thing :) ) Skyliner is not too rough,it gives that out of control feeling I feel thatis similar to the Phoneix at Knoebels. Not many people know about this coaster because Lakemont is not a very known park. Skyliner is a great little jem of a woodie. Plus, it is loacted behind the outfield wall of a baseball stadium, the Altoona Curve that is. That would be so awesome if I could ride the lift hill and watch a baseball game too :) I wonder if the train was ever hit by a home run ball. I want to catch a home run on that coaster! What a great coaster in a beautiful setting! Anyone else been on it that agrees with me?

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Dave

I'll agree on Viper at SFGAm, but I want to add one more to the list: ROAR (east). I rode it today expecting a decent ride and was absolutely blown away. Who said GCI's don't have airtime? Ride in the back of this beast and then try to tell me that. Throw the airtime in with a few really wicked laterals and an amazing first drop, and this ride is just as good as any CCI out there. This coaster REALLY deserves more credit (and I'm sure ROAR west is just as good if not more).

Trip report coming soon...

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I get the feeling there's a conspiracy over at King's Island to remove anything that has "K" or "C" in its initials.

I've been waiting for someone to mention Skyliner. I got in for 3 bucks one day and rode it 20 times 2 years ago. My mom wouldn;t let me keep my hands up because of the airtime off the first drop. I've been on ALOT of top wooden coasters, but none have the airtime this has on the first drop. Funny you mention getting hit with a baseball ACE15 cause I was thinking about that 2 days ago.

Having got my first ride on it about a month ago I must say that Superman:Krypton Coaster is very underated. It is a great coaster that only ranks behind Apollo's Chariot in my opinion of coasters I have ridden.