Every couple of years, a new extreme roller coaster is introduced into the world for thrill seekers and amusement park lovers. This year was no exception. So as a follow up on my piece Mega and Giga Coasters: World’s Scariest, Highest, and Fastest Roller Coasters, I have found some new babies on the block, and possibly some that you may have never heard of.

As people get older and wiser they tend to think this type of experience can be overrated. However, that’s what keeps us young and alive. The thrill of the wind in our hair, fast speeds on bumpy tracks, and the wonderful sound of yelling from the back of the car where the little boy, who was barely tall enough to ride, is wetting his pants from the terror of the 200 ft drop. Awe, the memories.

Gemini-Cedar Point

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This was one of the first roller coasters I ever rode, sneaking on with my father when I was a bit to small. As we started to descend down the first hill, I started to slip out of the bar and I started screaming. After I got off, I said I would never ride coasters again, although it wasn’t an hour later that I rode it again.

The Gemini  is a hybrid wood and steel coaster located at Cedar Point. Built in 1978,  the ride debuted as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. The coaster stands 125 feet high, has a drop of 118 feet, which just doesn’t seem that high anymore, and maxes out at 60 mph.

DiamondBack

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The Diamondback is the new hypercoaster at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, my old stopping ground. The coaster measures 5280 feet long, stands 230 feet in the air, has a 215 foot drop, has 10 complete drops, 2 helix measuring 323 and 287 degrees, and reaches speeds of 80 mph. The Diamondback “is similar to the Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland in dimensions and statistics, and like Behemoth has staggered seating.”

Jack Rabbit: Kennywood

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Built in 1921 at Kennywood in Pennsylvania, the Jack rabbit remains one of the oldest roller coasters still running. One of the most interesting aspects of this coaster is the lapbars, which stops many parents from allowing their children to ride. Remember me? Gemini, yikes!

The Rabbit, just like the Balder in Sweden, allows for extra air time on the double dips, making the rider feel like their rising out of their seats. Although the Jack Rabbit stands only 40 feet tall and has a max speed of 45 mph, it’s still a thrill for all who ride it.

Blue Streak-Conneaut Lake, PA

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The Blue Streak was built in 1937 and is the last shallow coaster in the world. Blue Streak was designed by Ed Vettel and consists of an out and back design. The wooden coaster stands 87 feet high, has a 79 foot drop, and reaches speeds of 51 mph. Unfortunately, much like the rest of the coaster dinosaurs, it’s consistently on the fritz.

Prowler

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Of course, I had to start with Prowler at Worlds of Fun since it pays homage to one of my favorite wooden roller coasters in the world, “The Beast” at King Island. The Prowler is located in Kansas City, Missouri and was built by Great Coasters International and opened May 2, 2009. This wooden beast stands 98 feet tall, can reach speeds of 51 mph, is 3074 feet in length, and has an estimated seating capacity of 850 people an hour.

Colossos 

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Colossos is a wooden coaster located at Heide Park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. The coaster is close to 197 feet high, has a drop of 159 feet, reaches speeds up to74 mph, and has a G force of 3.8. “Colossos is the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in Europe and the second tallest wooden roller coaster in the world (the tallest is Son of Beast at Kings Island).”

Colossos is revolutionary, using laser cut tracks, providing for a smoother and safer ride. Unfortunately, the bonded tracks feel completely different than a traditional wooden roller coaster, however it’s still a huge hit.

Cyclone-Coney Island (This one’s for Ruby)

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The cyclone is quite familiar to anyone that frequents Coney Island. This historic wooden roller coaster was declared a New York Landmark in 1988. The Cyclone stands 85 feet high and maxes out at 60 mph, which isn’t bad for an old timer.

Balder

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It doesn’t look that intimating from this point of view! Balder is located at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden and was voted best wooden roller coaster in the world in 2003 and 2005 because of the percentage of “air time” during the ride. The construction is similar to the Colossos in that it uses fabricated tracks, keeping the cost down and eliminating safety concerns for the riders. The Balder stands 118 feet high, has a 100 foot drop, and reaches speeds of up to 56 mph.

T Express

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T Express is a wooden roller coaster located at Everland in Yongin, South Korea. The fabricated tracks have once again been implemented to keep the costs low and provide a safer ride. It currently holds the title of the world’s steepest wooden coaster, the ninth fastest, fourth tallest, and sixth longest wooden coaster in the world. The T Express stands 184 feet high, has a 150 foot drop, and reaches speeds up to 65 mph.

Rip Ride Rocket at Universal Studios

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Debut is set for Summer 2009. The coaster features an on-board sound system to provide a soundtrack for the 3,800-foot roller coaster track. The roller coaster’s vertical lift is167 feet tall and the track design allows four coasters to be on the track at a time. Remember House on Haunted Hill? This coaster will recreate the terror, without falling off the tracks of course,  with six near-miss encounters and a unique form of vertical loop.

Vuoristorata

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Linnanmaki Amusement Park

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The Vuoristorata is the last side friction roller coaster in the world. The coaster is located in the Finnish amusement park, Linnanmäki and opened July 13, 1951 . The initial reasoning behind the coaster was to attract visitors to the  1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. In the 50’s, Vuoristorata was one of the tallest roller coasters in Europe. The coaster stands 75 feet high and reaches a comfortable speed of 37 mph.

Vuoristorata is among the few roller coasters in the world to have been given the classic status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) club.

The Racer-Kings Island

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The Racer held the record for world’s fastest roller coaster during the mid 1970s with it’s mirror image tracks. When the Racer was built in the Coney Mall area of the park, it  sparked a revival of wooden roller coasters. The Racer is credited with beginning the second golden age of roller coasters. Part of the allure with the Racer is that one of the trains goes backwards, while the other goes forwards. The trains both fly completely off the tracks while the riders fly up out of their seats. Sounds like a blast doesn’t it? It is!

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