Higher Expectations
Does 2005 hold some of the most unique coasters we've seen, or just more of the same thing?

"Off the road you moron!"

My head lifts up just in time to see another soccer mom, driving her gas guzzling SUV with a "My Son is an Honor Roll Student" bumper sticker, swerve past me into the McDonald's drive-thru. As I drop my head again and continue pedaling my bicycle, I don't stop and think about how ignorant people are. I think of how systematic our lives our. How the general public sees countless reversions of the same thing, just smashed up into one pile and molded into a different shape.

Did the crane operator drop the track? Oh wait, you mean it's supposed to look like that?!

Now stop and think about all the high expectation coasters of 2005. One or two clearly come to mind as your personal favorite; those that pry into your mind and drive you insane from the point of blue prints to you behind the restraints. Are these ambitions what you truly feel? Or are you just demanding more of the same?

The year 2005 entails nearly 35 new coasters being constructed. Of which, only 6% will be wooden! That number has stayed the same at 6% from last year. Sure, you can believe the wooden culture is still alive and well, but wooden coasters date with their grave is fast approaching.

Hades, soon to be Mt. Olympus Theme Park's newest arrival promises one thing: A big, banked, classic wooden drop. Original parks like Mt. Olympus struggle with finding attendance, but don't go bandwagon and start placing orders for a Bolliger & Mabillard Invert or Intamin Hydraulic Launch coaster. Instead, they stick to their guns and stay true to the roots of classic coasters. I commend every single one of these original parks for staying true.

What are revamps? Revamps are coasters that have in some way changed from their original form. No surprise here, 2005 holds three revamps, Space Mountain, Italian Job: Stunt Track, and Kingda Ka. Revamps are often better than their predecessors, offering improvements and optimizing performance levels. However, revamps are in no way original and are just considered low blows at getting public attention.

I wonder how universal Kingda Ka's and Top Thrill Dragster's track pieces are.

In 2005, Disneyland's Space Mountain will be a pure example of revamps. A larger dome structure, new track and new trains are seemingly enough to offer a whole new experience. Or so thought, more of the same: A pitch-black experience and poor statistics.

Sorry Stengel, but Paramount's Italian Job: Stunt Track seems more like a revamp of Test Track at Epcot than original. No matter what the ride features, the pure idea isn't there.

"Kingda what?"
"Kingda Dragster, oh okay."

Intamin AG is proving to be the one to beat in 2005. Not two, but three Intamin AG Hydraulic Launch coasters will open sometime next year. It seems everyone wants to get their hands on rollback material. Rita, at Alton towers promises to be just shy of boring with its 62' hill, while Kingda Ka promises more Top Thrill Dragster to Six Flags fans.

Kanonen, at Liseberg, very well may be the best Intamin next season. Featuring a 65' loop and a Zero-G roll added to Intamin's classic Top Hat element.

You've probably been expecting two names that have not appeared yet. What can I say, Walter and Claude are producing a pair of unique Bolliger & Mabillard manufactured coasters. They are without a doubt unique, but how much of a thrill will be left up to opening day.

A car going over obstacles and speeding. Sounds like Epcot's Test Track.

Debuting in May of 2005, Hydra: The Revenge has one of the sexiest paint schemes of all coasters, although I still cannot come to understanding with the "JoJo" roll. Aside from the hideous name, B&M should stick to limiting the elements before the chain lift-we don't need any nauseous riders throwing up on the lift hill. The elements on this coaster don't resemble any B&M in terms of looks and shape. Does this mean coaster will be smooth or rougher? Forceful or forceless?

Do we consider SheiKra another revamp or just crafty? Vertical drop coasters were built before the age of Intamin's Top Hat element, so the "thrill" of face first plummets may be outlived. Water splashes and candy canes. Who exactly rides a rollercoaster to get wet? And how forceful will the Immelman be? The tolerances on an eight person wide train are much greater than that of a four person wide vehicle, so the element is a lot larger and spread out over a larger portion of track.

So what happens after 2005? Does the seemingly endless coaster track make a right into the station, or make a left and take a hard dip and continue on? Will we see more of the same thing or will companies take a stand and lay it all on the line? My heart tells me yes, my conscious screams no. Only the block brakes will yield an answer...