Poll Results: Which ‘Goliath’ reigns supreme?

For entirely too long, we’ve asked our readers what was their favorite roller coaster named ‘Goliath’. At Six Flags Magic Mountain, the original Goliath is one of the tallest and fastest coasters on the planet reaching speeds of 85 mph, and a height of 235 feet. Trains dive under ground and over huge elements in the first half, before a twisted second half full of helixes, over banks, and turns. Two years later, Six Flags Holland (now named Walibi Holland) debuted an Intamin version of Goliath boasting a much more low to the ground layout with plenty of airtime. The European version also includes a unique Stengel dive element among the rest of the 4,000 feet of track. In April of 2006, Six Flags Over Georgia employed Bolliger & Mabillard to build there custom Goliath with a layout so giant the coaster goes outside of the park.  With 7 airtime hills, a massive helix, and a horseshoe element it occupies the most space of any of the Goliath’s.  A month later, the Canadians debuted a similar version of the Georgian Goliath at La Ronde with 10 airtime hill coaster that encompassed the the park’s parking lot.  This once again is completely different in layout from all of the other Goliath coasters.  Last but not least, in 2008 Six Flags Fiesta Texas took on an entire new direction with the Goliath name by making an inverted with a Spanish motif. While not as large and airtime filled as the other, the forceful and compact layout is exactly what the park needed.

After an incredibly long voting period, we received 147 votes.  With the results in, the winner of this poll is Goliath….at Six Flags Magic Mountain! Claiming 39% of the vote, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain is the oldest, as well as at the most popular park.  Personally, I despise the ride and find it to be a complete waste of money.  However apparently 58 people feel otherwise.  In 2nd, Six Flags Over Georgia’s B&M hyper grabbing 33% of the votes, followed by Walibi Holland (14%), Six Flags Fiesta Texas (11%), and lastly La Ronde with a mere 5%.  Do these polls surprise you?  I’m a bit surprised that the readers preferred the no-name manufacturer over the B&M and Intamin hyper coasters.  But sometimes these things just turn out this way.

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Aside from the giant, mega monsters like Texas Giant and Cheetah Hunt, 2011 has also been a year of compact coasters.  Many parks are buying up the smaller, more condensed ride that can fit snugly in tight corners of parks.  However, despite their tiny foot print these rides often pack a punch.  Six Flags Magic Mountain, was the first US park to add a Intamin ZacSpin coaster with Green Lantern: First Flight (set to open this Friday).  The “4th dimensional” coaster has a separate car chasis that rotates freely as it winds through the unique course.  ZacSpin coasters feature no turns, strictly verticle hills and drops which can easily be overlapped on one another, making for a small coaster foot print.

Meanwhile the East coast has gone over the edge with their 2 new Gerstlauer Euro-Fighters opening up this year.  Featuring a signature 90 degree lift and beyond vertical drop, this model packs a punch with inversions, tight turns, and various hills.  Canobie Lake has gone wild with their new Untamed Euro-Fighter, featuring a 97 degree drop and two inversions.  Six Flags Over Georgia debuted Dare Devil Dive this summer.  A 2nd-generation Euro-Fighter, the custom design utilizes unique trains with lap bar restraints, along with a far more twisted layout.

With parks, often looking to fill all corners of the park, small foot print coasters are a great way to increase capacity and renew popularity in a park.  Especially for seaside piers, and small family-owned amusement parks, these smaller creations pack a punch in a small area.  Saying that, which do you prefer, the longer, more twisted layout of the Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, or the unpredictable drops of a Intamin ZacSpin coaster.

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The poll is now open both above and on the side bar. Poll closes in 2 weeks (I promise) and let’s see if we can get over 100 votes in that time! Which model did you vote for? Leave a comment with your Park Thoughts below.

Images: Header Goliath, ZacSpin, Euro-Fighter