What follows are 10 of the most gut-wrenching and heart-pounding roller coasters thrill-seekers can try. We found you some clips to give you a feel of what you can expect. Enjoy... or not.
Also read our guide to the top amusement theme parks in the UAE.
Note: G stands for acceleration relative to gravity.
X2
This 'four dimensional' (4D) ride is the first in the world. Since it opened in 2002, it has blown minds and let out screams of many riders from all over the world. It's 4D because the riders' seats are rotated 360° independently. You'll experience face-down drops with a head banging to the ground feeling. After a 10 million dollar (around Dh36.7 million) revamp in 2007, the ride is scarier than ever.
Website www.sixflags.com/magicmountain Attraction Six Flags Magic Mountain Location Los Angeles, California
Fahrenheit
The Hershey Park does not only cater to the sweet tooth but also to the thrill rides fanatics. It features the spine-tingling ride where the inverted vertical loop swoops riders up 121 feet aboveground. It's the USA's steepest roller coaster drop at 97°. Do you still want to try it? Not when all the loops and drops happen in less than 85 seconds.
Website www.hersheypark.com Attraction Hersheypark Location Hershey, Pennsylvania
Insanity, The Ride
Insanity is not your typical roller coaster. The ride spins 40 miles per hour (mph) on top of the space needle-like Stratosphere hotel in Vegas that extends 64 feet over the north edge of the tower. This is not for those who fear heights as the riders are angled down by 70 degrees at aheight of 900 feet, so they only see the streets below. The expression you need here is 'heart in throat', almost literally.
Website www.stratospherehotel.com Attraction Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower Location Las Vegas, Nevada
Colossus
The ride holds the world record for the most number of inversions. It flips riders over and over in double corkscrew style, the cobra roll, and the quadruple heart-line roll.
Website www.thorpepark.com Attraction Thorpe Park Location Chertsey, Surrey, U.K.
Kingda Ka
Currently, this is the highest of all the roller coasters. At the ride’s highest peak, at a record of 456 feet (the height of 45 storey building), the brave riders are catapulted up with the help of a hydraulic launch. In a record-setting speed of 128mph, Kingda Ka reaches its top height in just 3.5 seconds before you go all the way down on a 270-foot spiral. It’s a hair raising ordeal where riders experience both negative and positive gravity.
Website www.sixflags.com/greatadventure Attraction Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari Location Jackson, New Jersey
Eejanaika
The seventh highest roller coaster in the world, the name of this one translates roughly to 'what the hell', which is what you will hear others shouting in Japanese when you’re on this ride. It’s also a 4D coaster like X2 but 250 feet taller with similar 360-degree turns. The head-over-heels spinning style is insane with its winglike cars. At the peak, riders can get a glimpse of Mount Fuji, if they have not screamed their eyeballs off.
Website www.fujiq.jp Attraction Fuji-Q Highland Location Fujiyoshida, Japan
Tower of Terror
At 100mph, this is the tallest and the fastest thrill ride in the Southern Hemisphere and the fourth fastest in the world. The climb is at a rate of 4Gs to the scary height of 377 feet above the ground followed by a zero-gravity drop, and then speeding straight out for the length of approximately three football fields.
Website www.dreamworld.com.au Attraction Dreamworld Location Gold Coast, Australia
Expedition GeForce
This ride can top any list of the best coasters in the world. GeForce is one of the largest coasters in Europe, it’s satisfyingly long and not gimmicky. But it’s gut-wrenching as it reaches 4.5G, and a height of 203 feet, speeds exceeding 74mph.
Website www.holidaypark.de Attraction Holiday Park Location Haßloch, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Maverick
It’s the newest (built in 2007) and most expensive ($21 million or Dh77.7 million) coaster. It goes at 70mph and features eight airtime-filled hills and countless twists and turns that run for 2.5 minutes with an unusual surprise at the end of the ride.
Website www.cedarpoint.com Attraction Cedar Point Amusement Park Location Sandusky, Ohio
Superman, Ride of Steel
There are three versions of this ride in the United States; one at Darien Lake in New York State, another at Six Flags American in Maryland, and the third one in New England. But the last is the topper on our list with speeds of more than 77mph, a 221 foot drop into a tunnel, two bunny hills, three camel backs, and a grand total of 10 seconds of weightlessness.
Website https://www.sixflags.com/newengland Attraction Six Flags New England Location Agawam, Massachusetts
