The Beast-Kings Island ~or~ Thunderhead-Dollywood?

[KingsIsland1972]

I used my KI season pass one time last year(disappointing) before landing a job in Gatlinburg, TN in June of 2011. The perks came with a VIP pass to Dollywood to use all year which I hadn't been there since a child and Lord only knows I would have NEVER rode a rollercoaster then. Being a lover of the Woodies...I've come to love and appreciate Thunderhead in Dollywood and had a chance to ride it at least 50 times while there and had a new found love for that particular ride. I have ranked it really close to my Beast Experiences but both give two opposite kinds of mixed experiences so I'm torn.

Is there anybody that could explain in detail the difference between what the two are because no two coasters are alike? I love The Beast for the special smell you get at night: the musk and moist breeze that graces your face of the forest, the dark cover of the trees and of course the Helix is 2nd to None(when it's pitch black)!!! But....Thunderhead seemed to have sharper hairpin turns, more air time and even races through the station. I seemed to smile and laugh "A LOT" while riding it and gave me a natural high of happiness and completeness.

Would anybody like to give their 2cents worth? Thanks.

[mccarthysnerd]

The Beast (There's nothing else to be said)

[Buckeye Brad]

The Beast and Thunderhead...two of my favorite wooden coasters. Disclaimer...I grew up on The Beast. I took my first spin in 1985 as a 10 year old, and become a coaster nut. So many great memories of riding The Beast with family and friends, in the day, night, rain, and even fog. I rode Thunderhead last summer, and again last month.

These coasters are so very different. Here are some categories I use to compare wooden coasters:

1. "In the woods" feeling

The Beast, obviously, has this in spades. Though much of it is in "clearings", you are almost always deep in the forest.

Thunderhead is set against a beautiful hill of trees, but you don't really go "in" the woods.

2. Out of control feeling

The Beast is like driving 100 mph on the interstate. Thunderhead is like driving 50mph down Lombard Street. Both are fun, but I gotta admit that I prefer the latter. Besides the lift hill and station flyby, Thunderhead does not travel 12 inches without changing direction up, down, left, or right.

Much of The Beast's track is quite linear, and the curves have large radii. This is the biggest difference between these two coasters, in my opinion.

3. Mystery

From the public walkways, one can see pretty much every part of Thunderhead. So there are no big surprises along its course.

On the other hand, every part of The Beast (except for the first lift-hill) is hidden from view. Even views from the Eiffel Tower, Diamondback and Vortex only offer glimpses of the second hill. Of course, now one can check out Google Earth or YouTube to learn what really happens out in those woods, but when I was a kid, you went into the ride blind. Added fear factor.

4. Trains

All of my rides on Thunderhead were quite comfy.

Over the years, my rides on The Beast have ranged from comfy to washboard road terrible.

5. Tunnels

I really enjoy coaster tunnels. The abrupt differences in sound and light, plus the "head-chopping" effect, never get old for me. The Beast has 4, while Thunderhead has one: the station flyby. It feels a bit different since it is so open compared to the tunnels on Beast.

6. Airtime

On my rides, nearly every hill on Thunderhead offered airtime.

I'm not sure I've ever had any on The Beast.

7. The "voyage" feeling

I used lowercase "v" because I don't mean the coaster in Santa Claus (though that coaster excels in this category) but rather the way a coaster layout takes me on a literal far away trip. These coasters have it: The Racer, Magnum, Millennium Force, Voyage, and The Beast.

These, not so much: Vortex, Mantis, Firehawk, and Thunderhead. This "voyage" aspect is not a requirement, just a nice bonus for me.

8. Emotional pacing, adrenaline

For me, Thunderhead stays between 10 and 11 (on the Spinal Tap meter) until the brake run.

The Beast is all over the place, dipping to 5 on the straight sections, and somehow reaching 12 at the entrance of the double helix.

What can I say, I love'em both.

So there you have it. Much more than my two cents. If I had to move to a deserted island and take one of these with me, it would be...Thunderhead. But The Beast, especially running at top form, would be a fine second choice.

I'm glad that I live close to both of these great coasters. They show how different and great wooden coasters can be.

[Titan]

It all depends on your tastes. If you like coasters that are compact, have quick hills, and short turns, then Thunderhead will be right for you. But if you like spread out, bone jarring, and bigger hills, then Beast will be right for you. I like The Beast better, but that's just my opinion.

[TombRaiderFTW]

I don't really know that I can point-blank rate Thunderhead as being better than Beast, or vice versa, though I realize I've got a top 5 on my "About Me" page* that doesn't include Beast. The coasters are great for their own reasons, and if you try to apply those reasons to one another, you're sorely disappointed.

The Beast is the model for how to appropriately pace a roller coaster, even with magnetic trim brakes. It doesn't have airtime, and, quite frankly, I don't think it needs it. From the top of the first lift to the bottom of the second, the ride literally facades itself. It's wide, almost lateral-free turns and long stretches of straight track that lull the rider into believing the ride is tame. The pacing increases slightly over the course of this first half as you start to encounter the tunnels, the trains making this tremendous roar as you pass through the concrete portions to increasingly sudden turns. Then, just as the speed hits its peak--you hit the second lift.

With how far you've come and how big the lift is, you almost expect it to be the end of the ride, until you remember you saw the double helix from the top of the first lift. You reach the top of the second lift and see the park in its entirety, but then you're turning away from that--the ride's teased you with the idea of being done, but its "worst" is yet to come. You're heading down this long stretch of track with a minuscule 10-degree downward angle towards this ominous tunnel mouth buried in the trees you thought you'd escaped, and the train is bucking like crazy and picking up speed. I honestly like the trim on this drop--it's like the ride's last-ditch attempt to let you "save yourself" before you get swallowed by the tunnel and go through the crazy intense helix. And only after that does the ride decide it'll let you go.

Night rides only amplify the theatrics of the pacing, which is why people tend to like night rides on The Beast more, in my opinion--instead of The Beast toying with you, it's like he's chasing you through the dark woods. The helix tunnel becomes this pitch black hole that literally devours you, thus increasing the impression that you never really escape The Beast; he decides to let you go... for now. (The Beast is basically the Chuck Norris of roller coasters.)

Thunderhead, on the contrary, only vaguely relies on pacing in comparison to The Beast. I don't mean that in a derogatory way; I'm just saying that the pacing starts on "fast" and ends on "very fast," where The Beast goes from "intentionally slow" to "fast." I see Thunderhead more as GCI's attempt to stuff as much airtime into a somewhat limited area as possible by using the terrain, and the results were these crazy fast banking/G-force transitions and high-banked turns that only increase their frequency the closer the train gets to the brakes. Does that mean it's a bad ride? Definitely not, but it's very difficult for me to appreciate it the same way I appreciate rides like The Beast, Kennywood's Thunderbolt, or Holiday World's Raven or Voyage, all of which also place a higher emphasis on pacing. I love me some Thunderhead, but it's not in the same way I love those other rides. It's a great ride, but there just isn't as much depth in the design as it feels like there is on The Beast, which is something that seems to be common on the GCI rides I've been on. The only ones that come close are Hersheypark's Lightning Racers, but not very. The Beast lulls you into a false sense of security then wows you with its double helix; Thunderhead throws everything it's got and the kitchen sink at you from the top of the lift to the brake run. It's almost apples and oranges.

(Again, just to stress this: GCI makes fantastic rides. I don't mean to hate on them, as they're easily some of my favorite coasters to ride. I've just never seen a GCI that made me think, "Wow, they're really switching up the pacing like crazy on that guy.")

By the by, guys, have I ever mentioned I really get into dissecting design elements and themes in rides?

*My top 5 functions more like a "top 5 rides I'd most like to ride right now" list than a "top 5 rides I've ever been on" list. The only reasons The Beast isn't on there is because I've ridden it so many times and because it's so close to where I live. I might only get to visit Holiday World and Kennywood once each per year, so that's why they get a slightly higher priority. I can't wait to ride The Beast in a week!

[faeriewench]

The only thing in common that Thunderhead and The Beast share is that they're wooden coasters, imo. They both offer almost completely different ride experiences.

But...as much as I like The Beast, its Thunderhead that takes my top spot for a Woodie

[The Interpreter]

I can no more rank wooden coasters than a Momma could rank her children. There's a few scoundrels, yes. Beast is legendary. Thunderhead is incredible. And Georgia Cyclone is 20 feet away. Time to go back in.

Terp, on a spring fling in the southeast.

[Pagoda Gift Shop]

Thunderhead. Less yawn time.

[jbt]

As great as The Beast is, I prefer Thunderhead's relatively smooth ride. Ever been on Boardwalk Bullet at Kemah Boardwalk? It feels kind of like a cross between The Beast and Thunderhead.