Since my first ride on a roller coaster as a boy, I've always have a love for riding them, but also a fascination with the physics and engineering behind them. Modern coasters, especially those designed since the mid-1980's, have so many carefully designed elements that are missed by casual riders.
The first coaster I went on wasn't by choice. My father dragged me onto the Scenic Railway at Melbourne's Luna Park, considered to be the oldest roller coaster still in continuous operation, having being in operation since 1912. Needless to say, I loved it and was immediately addicted!
These days, I'm now a regular at theme parks, having visited Disneyland Paris twice, in as many years, and also having a season pass to Walibi Belgium for the past two years. Dare I mention it, I was not planning on getting a season pass again this year, but writing this, and seeing some videos on YouTube, I'm getting excited about the season opening tomorrow.
Of course, I don't limit myself to roller-coasters. Carnivals and festivals with rides like Moomba attract my attention very quickly. With Moomba, I had a tradition of going on the final night with friends, where you could obtain a cheap unlimited ride pass for the entire evening along with the fireworks display.
At this point I should mention that legend has it that the word «Moomba» was an attempt at using an Aboriginal word intended to mean “let's get together for fun”, but actually means “up yours”!
The first time I went to Disneyland was a freebie from work — a bonus from one of our vendors — and sparked my first roller-coaster weekend. That weekend, I spent the entirety of Saturday at Disneyland, Saturday night at Foire du Midi, and the Sunday at Walibi.
This excessive weekend of constant rides and little sleep left me feeling like I was still on a roller-coaster while at work on Monday, which was a weird but somewhat euphoric experience. In the aftermath, I earned myself an awkward reputation at the office.
Every roller-coaster is different, often each one with different sweet spots providing different experiences. So much so, it's very difficult to compare them. My favourite coasters are not those that simply go very fast and have a large number of inversions, but coasters that have well engineered rhythm and timing, slowing down and speeding up during the experience.
Disney takes this in another direction, for which I also appreciate with their enclosed and themed coasters, such as Space Mountain and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. I've seen Space Mountain without the music and effects working, and it's a very tame and boring coaster. However, with the theme applied, the ride is brilliant.
On a personal level, riding coasters is a kind of liberation from my normal will to control my environment; I let go, and let the ride happen. As a result I think I enjoy it more.
Hmm, there's a lesson in life buried somewhere in there…
Simon Butcher on : Walibi's back!