I have to say, this post turned out longer that I anticipated! Just letting you know...LOL
There's been a couple of things pre-occupying my mind the past few days.
One of which is roller coaster related. I'll get back to that.
I was thinking about my past
roller coaster experiences and I came across these old pictures back in December 2007.
Emmanuel had the grand idea of going on an
Olympic bobsleigh, which they offer at COP. And so, the mini dare devil in me said "Sure! :)"
My friend and Emmanuel and I. Putting on our helmets!
We're not pictured here but this was one of the pictures we took of a few bobsledders who went before us on the track.
You know the whole waiver deal: don't go on it if you have past history of heart problems...yadda yadda yadda.... I was like, sure whatever. I'm young and healthy.
Key points I would like to share: it goes up to 125 km/hour (77 mph) and I'd like to stress, the G force you experience is more than an astronaut experiences. You endure a 4.5-5 G-force. In comparison, astronaut Koichi Wakata said that the maximum G force astronauts feel is 3 G when the engines are ignited during the last full minute (you can read his G force answer here).
Review of the Bobsleigh ride at COP
I know you've been in a car at 125 km/hour (77 mph) but it's very very different when you're in a bobsleigh - it's smaller (key) and it's open air (no roof - well I know convertibles don't have roofs).
There was a split second where I thought, "OMG we're on the verge of being out of control." I don't think there has ever been another moment in my life where the speed I was travelling at made me feel out of control or just on the verge of it. And let me tell you, if that sleigh went over the side of the ice tunnel, I'm 98% sure I'd be finished. Yes, it was scary at one point of the ride but that's not the factor that makes me say, "No, I'm not going on it again." That settles the speed issue.
The reason I will not go on this bobsleigh again is because of the physical pain I endured after the ride. For days after. It had to do with the G-force. The ride itself is not physically painful.
First of all, I should explain the seating a bit because it's related to the G-force you experience - there were four people in our bobsleigh. The professional driver/breaker (most of which were retired Olympians from the national team) sat right at the front of the bobsleigh to direct the bobsleigh and most importantly, to utilize the breaks. Then the three seats behind the driver were open to the public (at $165 CDN/person or $150 CDN/person for groups of three). I sat in the middle. We were told the person at the back endures the strongest G-force. Now if I could go back in time, I would have sat at the back and I'll tell you why in a second. The one thing I want to point out is I wouldn't recommend sitting right behind the driver because you get all this shaved ice on you during the ride from the breaks. The poor lady in front of us was covered in shaved ice/snow at the end of the ride LOL
Why I recommend the back seat, especially if you're short like me (5'1"). Take a look at that picture of the bobsleigh above. Do you see how the panel side of the bobsleigh goes up (shark fin shape) between what looks like the last and second last person in that picture? Okay, that part was on either side of my head. And throughout the decent, my head (with helmet) kept knocking the two sides back and forth because of the nature of the ride. Yes they do tell you to lean forward, bend down and to lean into the direction of the curves (sure....like we're either scared sh*tless or going too fast to see so I don't think we could lean into curves). Oh and with the force you feel, you cannot help but bend forward hunchback. A couple of times I tried to lift my head a bit to see and the force pushes you down very strongly. Anyways, despite leaning forward and low, my head still hit the sides of the sleigh. I feel that if I was sitting at the back, my head wouldn't be hitting the side of the sleigh nearly as much.
The problem with the head hitting is how I felt after. It took me a full week to gain my side vision back fully. At around the 5th day, I was about to go to the hospital about it. See, try this: keep your head straight and just move your eyes to look to the far left or far right of your field of vision without moving your head. No problem, right? I couldn't do that properly for a full week after that ride. And my friend Emmanuel did not report the same problem when I asked him...so since he sat at the back, that is why I recommend the back seat especially if you're short like me. Perhaps if you're taller your head wouldn't have hit the sides as much as mine did. This is the main factor I would not go on the bobsleigh again.
A couple of other physical pains I endured: I don't know how this happened but I ended up with two identical bruises on both of my outer thighs. The bruises were about 2 inches in diameter. It's not a deciding factor for me because I didn't notice them until later in the day when I was in the shower. But one thing that was very discomforting was the back pain I endured. The pain lasted a good 3-4 days after the ride. The whole day following the ride I could not walk upright properly/comfortably. And neither could Emmanuel. So I can certainly vouch for the fact that you will most likely endure back pain from this ride.
Verdict: if you're seeking a thrill and have your mind set on a professional bobsleigh ride, go for it. I just recommend that you (1) ideally sit in the back seat. However you can sit in the middle if you're taller. The front seat is not ideal because of the inevitable ice shavings thrown at you (2) be prepared to feel back pain and maybe even the field of vision problems I experienced. Don't take this ride a few days before some important event (like the day before your wedding ah hem) because you might have issues walking upright properly.
Roller Coasters at Canada's Wonderland
Okay, what am I stressed out about? That's what I keep asking myself actually LOL
Well I got invited by a friend to go to Canada's Wonderland this coming Saturday.
And the nut cases they are, they love the ride Behemoth which is Canada's biggest, tallest and fastest roller coaster....
The first drop clocks in at a breath taking view of 230 Feet / 70 metres
(reaching speeds up to 124 km/hour or 77 mph).
You experience free-fall for 3.9 seconds during the first drop
Okay of course the ride won't look like this tomorrow LOL. This picture was taken when it was under construction. There are multiple drops.
I know I don't have to go on the ride just because my companions will.
But sheesh, I'm a bit embarrassed at the thought of skipping out on the ride when they all plan on going on it *sigh* I'm at a point where it's like, okay I want to get this over with because I'm so anxious about it that it's ridiculous. I'm anxious about the first drop, the subsequent multiple drops (why not inversions instead?!), the fast speed approaching the subsequent descents (I find it uncomfortable to go up a hill/tower at a quick speed) that there's only a lap bar (ugh, I like the security of a shoulder restraint) and there's no "sides" on the roller coaster. Ugh, so you have the full on force of wind all over your body. Lovely! LOL
The problem really is the fact that I use to LOVE roller coasters and other thrill rides. I loved them so much as a teenager that despite none of my family members or friends liking them, I would line up in 2-3 hour line ups by myself (loser! Everyone else had at least one friend to socialize with) and often sat on the coaster by myself (the seat beside me left empty because there was no other single rider).
As a way to console myself (haha) I did a bit of research on the other rides I have been on numerous times to sort of psych myself for Behemoth?! ;) So the rest of this post is dedicated to my thoughts on the roller coasters I have been on at Wonderland and a bit on Disney.
I don't know why I'm experiencing irrational fears about a roller coaster. Especially for someone who has enjoyed them before. Aaand it's not like I haven't dropped from a high ride.
and it clocks in at a 200 feet/60.9 metre drop.
You can see the tower here
Drop Tower Experience
The most difficult part of the ride is going up the tower (thoughts like "OMG stop the ride NOW, I'll drop right from this height thank you" and "WTF am I doing on this thing?!" pass through my mind going up) and when you're suspended for several seconds at the top. When you're at the top, you'll actually wonder why it's not dropping you yet because the suspense is crazy. It's very high from up top IMO
The actual drop is not scary. You're in a seated position. You feel wind more than anything. What is nice about this ride is that the wind is not strongly blowing in your face (like it does on a roller coaster) so you can keep your eyes open during the whole decent. And yes, I do keep my eyes open during the decent because I like to see how fast I'm dropping. It's definitely a ride to check out but it goes by too quickly because you line up 2 hours and it's a 3 second drop. And I don't feel the drop as much as I do in a roller coaster.
The decent on the bat is pretty much half the height of Behemoth's first drop: 117 feet/36 metres and only a fraction of the speed at 76 km/hour (47 mph).
The novelty here is that The Bat goes through a decent, loops and coils and then it goes up the hill again but backwards. So you go through the same ride backwards as well.
I'd like to point out that falling backwards is actually relaxing. Yep. I honestly don't feel anxious falling backwards on that ride. It's really different than a front forward decent.
This was one of my favourite roller coasters when I was teen. The novelty here is that you're in a standing position. The decent is an easy 92 feet (28 metres). I recall that when I sat in the front of the coaster, by the time you register free fall I was already at the bottom of the hill on my way to the first inversion.
This was another favourite of mine - not so much the typical 1.5-2 hour line up of course.
I like the feeling of my legs dangling so I think that's what appealed to me on this ride.
The decent is rather easy as well- just like the previous two coasters I mentioned it clocks in at a similar height and speed of 109.25 feet (33.30 metres) and 80 km/hour (49.7 mph).
The sensation of free fall is only for a second or two at the most when you're on roller coasters at about 100-120 feet. And that's mostly if you take the back seat of the roller coaster. If you sit up front, you feel less free fall (maybe up to a second of less free fall?)
I'm not a fan of this ride. The shoulder restraints on this ride hurt my ears. For some reason, the ride makes my head shake from side to side and everytime I got off this ride, my ears were red and swollen. So I've only been on this ride a few times.
A friend of mine who worked at Wonderland said some people who ride Flight Desk experience this problem on that ride too (however, I don't). His piece of advice is to consciously hold your head to one side and lean it against the shoulder restraint on one side for the duration of the ride. Um, sure....I don't think I can manage much of a conscious effort during a roller coaster ride LOL. But that is a tip for you if you can make a conscious effort and shoulder restraints hurt you.
Surprisingly this drop is quite a bit lower than the previously mentioned rides at 78 feet (24 metres) and 80 km/hour (50 mph). It seemed to be higher than SkyRider.
This ride goes around the iconic Wonder mountain and it's suspended from the track.
You know, I never quite liked this ride. I've been on it at least three times but it never grew on me. I'm not sure why. It's not at all scarier than any of the other roller coasters I've been on. I guess there wasn't a novelty that appealed to me about this ride?
The decent and speed are similar to ones above at a 91 foot decent (28 metres) and 89 km/hour (55 mph). Apparently though, it's the fastest suspended roller coaster! Hmmm....a thought to hold onto.
I've been on this ride several times - mainly because near closing time there have been times when there was no line up for this ride.
I'm not a fan of wooden roller coasters. For one, they only have a lap bar. I like shoulder restraints accompanying inversions and I like the smoothness of a steel roller coaster. On top of that, the tracks sound like they're going to F-ing cave in and crack under you! LOL
And reading the description of
here makes even more turned off from this ride. People have reportedly smacked their hands in their face from raising their arms in the air during the first decent and due to the sudden tilt at the bottom of the decent, it may cause your arms to jerk back. Ouch!!
Like I said above, I'm not a fan of wooden roller coasters. I have been on Minebuster numerous times because the line ups were a lot shorter at times than some of my favourite steel roller coasters.
If you like wooden roller coasters, this won't disappoint but it's very similar to Wild Beast. Just a bit smoother....but still, it's not like a steel roller coaster.
So you might be asking, why am I scared of Behemoth if I was such a roller coaster lover at one point? I really don't know. I didn't realize I had changed until I went to Disney World two years ago LOL. I know! Disney World out of all places - not like Six Flags or another thrill seeking amusement park.
And in all honesty, the rides at Disney World are actually very easy rides.
I hardly felt the sensation of free fall on any of the higher rides there. And the theming of some of their rides is just incredible. That's the strangest irrational part of my fear - what changed in the past 5-7 years that made me so fearful of thrill rides?
Since I'm on a roll with ride reviews, I wanted to point out the top three rides that appealed to me at Disney World.
The roller coaster is in the dark - so perhaps that's why I couldn't easily find a picture of the ride for you. It's a fun ride. I went on it three or four times in a row along with my older sister who is absolutely terrified of rides (the decent and inversions for her). She ended up liking this ride too. There is no decent on this ride. The ride shoots you from 0 to 60 miles in 2.8 seconds and that's the momentum used to put you through the inversions that follow.
I really liked the darkness of the roller coaster and the lights on display. The loud music during the ride was a neat feature.
I have absolutely no clue why I did not like the decent on this ride. It's an 80 foot drop. I should be use to it. Although it's not a low drop per say, it doesn't create much of a sensation of free fall - which upsets me even more because now I really don't know how my discomfort came about. I think Disney rides have a much larger angle of decent so that's perhaps why the decents are not nearly as scary as the ones at Wonderland....I could be wrong but it feels like that.
What I really liked about this ride was the theming. From the Yeti swooping down on you to the tracks splitting in half and then you go backwards from there.....but for the first time, I didn't rush back into the line up to get on the roller coaster again after getting off. I felt a bit uneasy for the first time - and I think this was a turning point for me. I was so embarassed and confused about how I felt that I didn't even admit it to my sister, who was in total shock I wasn't running back in the line up like I always do. I don't think the turning point had to do with this ride at all, I think I would have felt that way no matter what roller coaster I was on.
I do highly recommend this ride though. And it's in
Animal Kingdom - by far my favourite theme park at Disney World.
OMG I highly recommend this ride as well.
This is the third and last ride at Disney World that came to mind that I should mention.
The lobby/lineup area is awesome! I have very irrational fears of elevators (I have slight uneasy feelings at the back of my mind even when I take the elevator in my condo) and hotels (ghosts in hotels I should say...and ghosts in general). AND this ride touches on both of my fears so it was a neat experience.
I really liked the one part of the lineup where the library is :) And the uniforms/makeup done on the attendents is very cool....
Some of the attendants even acted like zombies. Not hard - just act bored and half the acting job is done LOL. Anyways, I went during the month of October so there was a lot of
Halloween festive feel and I liked the slight eeriness of things here and there ;)
This is what the seating looks like on the ride. Although I don't recall the "hotel/ride" attendants sitting with us. Hmmm...maybe I wasn't paying attention?
The only thing I found uncomfortable about this ride is because you drop multiple times down the tower shaft, you shoot up the tower shaft quickly. And I unexpectedly found it very uncomfortable to shoot up at a quick speed. It's more uncomfortable than dropping IMO
But don't let that discourage you. I do recommend this ride although I only went on it once.
So because the Behemoth roller coaster goes up several hills after the first decent, I am anticipating some discomfort on that ride :( Oh well, I've sort of accepted the fact that I'm going on that ride on Saturday LOL. Gosh, if anything, at least writing this post has helped alleviate some of my stress. That's the whole point of blogging, isn't it?! ;)
If you read this post, how do you think I developed my fear of roller coasters lately? Have you developed fears of something over time?
If you didn't read my long post, that's okay too! Do you like thrill rides?
Are you into extreme sports? Hey, have you been on the Behemoth?! LOL
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