I have written so many blog post probably over 300 by now and I have never really sat and spoken about what I actually find thrilling from rides and theme parks. So why not sit and discuss what I find thrilling and why these things thrill me.
Airtime:
I love airtime so much and it’s one of the main elements that dictate where some rides and coasters sit within my top 10. The more airtime the better in my opinion. But as much as I love airtime it still is quite thrilling. The main source of airtime I find thrilling is ejector or as I call it vicious airtime where your backside slams of the seat on the way down… that make sense? I love the feeling of the danger when it comes down to almost feeling of the fact you’re not touching your seat whilst riding a rollercoaster or any ride in fact.
Speed:
Again I love speed but there is also a thin line between love to pure terrifying speeds. I always remember when Colossus broke down on the lift hill during the Love Island Lates then restarted again after about 20 minutes and it flew around the track and I mean flew. The intensity when it came down to the speed was quite literally terrifying. But another rollercoaster that comes to mind when I think of speed is Red Force. Half of the launch I felt a sense of joy and love but then the second is pure terror.
The Unknown:
This can become less thrilling over time and the more you ride but rides such as The Smiler and Thirteen both have indoor elements. Both of which I weren’t aware of prior to riding and both things gave me a truly good thrill. I’m completely open to the fact that Thirteen still thrills me today with the feeling the drop gives you.
Vulnerability:
I find feeling vulnerable is almost intimidating but I also quite like it in terms of the overall ride experience. I like to feel I’m on the brink of danger in the least weird way possible. That initial adrenaline is priceless and lush! There aren’t many rides I feel this way with anymore but one of the main ones which come to mind is Rush at Thorpe Park, those little restraints are perfect for this feeling.
Falling:
Drop Towers are not for me and it’s for this exact season. I hate falling. The sense of feeling so out of control whilst plunging towards the floor is absolutely vile. If it’s one of the drop towers that bounce after the initial drop I’m not too bad. But slowly climbing to a specific height to then fall towards the ground, is just awful. I’ll never understand why or how people can stare at the ground whilst heading down towards the floor at a decent speed. It is sick (not the good kind of sick neither)
Height:
And finally.. The culprit to a lot of the thrill I feel whilst riding rides and rollercoasters, the height. I’m terrible when it comes down to tall rides in general as it knocks me sick to think I am so far from the ground. Likes of Big One I have almost gotten used to it now and with easily over 50 rides of working on the fear I have almost conquered it. But I always have a racing heartbeat whilst climbing it still.
What do you find thrilling? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments.
Thank you for reading…