• Alex Lents

    Situation Longueur Baffes Harnais Inconfort

    I’ll be blunt right out of the gate: Corkscrew sucks, but I do recognize its importance. This was the first coaster with 3 inversions, and the first modern coaster with a loop. However, 46 years after opening, it holds up very poorly. Not only are there few significant forces, but the ride is, plain and simple, uncomfortable. Headbanging is inevitable when you ride thanks to its hard OTSR’s and jerky transitions. Special mention to the BRUTAL transition from the first pullout to the airtime hill, which doesn’t cause headbanging, but is incredibly jarring. Minus the historical significance, I will give credit for 2 things: 1. It’s short and small, so the headbanging, although plentiful, isn’t TOO miserable, and 2. The way the corkscrews are placed over the midway creates an admittedly amazing visual when the train goes through them. Iconic, important, but incredibly, incredibly irritating, I recommend Corkscrew only for the credit, NOTHING ELSE.

  • Alex Lents

    First Drop Baffes Inversions

    To begin with, while I love coasters, I have some pretty picky preferences. Unfortunately, for the most part, Rougarou fails. The main problem is the layout. Except for the final corkscrew (which is solidly snappy), the inversions are taken at JUST the wrong speed, neither fast nor slow enough to give many forces. However, the biggest offense are the fast transitions that occur during the middle of the ride. As opposed to the inversions, which are too tame, these are too INTENSE. Even with B&M’s signature graceful profiling, transitions like this on a ride with OTSR’s are a recipe for some serious headbanging. One major pro I will give though is the first drop, which is one of my favorites on a looping coaster. After the pre-drop, you do a 180 to the right, but unlike on many loopers, the drop is straight, and you unbank as you crest it, giving some very nice floater air-time that transitions from sideways to straight up. Apart from that, though, this ride sucks pretty bad. If you don’t go to Cedar Point that often (just like me, unfortunately), prioritize just about any other ride than this.