How old were you when you rode your first looping roller coaster?

[DLgal]

My son FINALLY rode the Incredicoaster at DCA yesterday (a proud moment because he has autism and is very sensitive to sensory experiences and had been trying to psych himself up for YEARS). He is just shy of 16. He loved it and we rode it again almost immediately.

Got me thinking about how old I was when I was finally brave enough to try one. I was 12 and it was a coaster at a Six Flags near St.Louis. I don't really remember much about it other than it was black and had a name like a snake. Viper, or Cobra, maybe. After that, I was ALL IN on looping coasters.

 

[Kitty 34]

Not sure but I do remember riding a loop roller coaster when I lived in Chicago back in the late 70s in my early 20s.....I think it was a 6 Flags.

 

[BrianL]

I can't remember for sure, but we had a local amusement par, Libertyland, that had two coasters, one classic wooden coaster called the Zippin Pippin, and one newer, steel-tube coaster called The Revolution, which ahs one large loop and two corksccrews. My sister and I had always been afraid to ride them and would try to psych ourselves up for it. I can remember that we anted to start witht eh Pippin since it had no loops, but the day it finally happened, we were on the other side of the park, near the Revolution and it had no line for once (it was getting close to closing time). Anyway, where we had always chickened out of the line before...this time we'd be committed. It was the opportunity and we went for it. Of course, we wanted to ride it again and again (possible with no line) and we also hit the Pippin a couple of times on the way out. I am not sure of my age at the time, but I'll guess around 7 - my sister, as always, 4 years older than me!

 

[CynBeth]

I never have am not big on roller coasters.

 

[DLgal]

I can't remember for sure, but we had a local amusement par, Libertyland, that had two coasters, one classic wooden coaster called the Zippin Pippin, and one newer, steel-tube coaster called The Revolution, which ahs one large loop and two corksccrews. My sister and I had always been afraid to ride them and would try to psych ourselves up for it. I can remember that we anted to start witht eh Pippin since it had no loops, but the day it finally happened, we were on the other side of the park, near the Revolution and it had no line for once (it was getting close to closing time). Anyway, where we had always chickened out of the line before...this time we'd be committed. It was the opportunity and we went for it. Of course, we wanted to ride it again and again (possible with no line) and we also hit the Pippin a couple of times on the way out. I am not sure of my age at the time, but I'll guess around 7 - my sister, as always, 4 years older than me!

Wow, 7? That's young! You were definitely braver than I ever was. I remember being TERRIFIED when I finally rode Space Mountain at 9. I would not have even considered a looping coaster.

I am always impressed by the kids who just barely meet the height requirements riding these coasters. That was also an issue for me, to be honest. I was tiny and barely 48" at 9. I didn't get to 54" until I was 12.

 

[NMBCFangirl]

20. Space Mountain and Matterhorn were pushing the limits where my folks were concerned.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Either 5 or 6. My parents never created a culture of fear/nervousness around roller coasters so if my brother or I wanted to go on something and we met height requirements then on the ride we went. I never understood people who created fears in their children in this regard. My parents always said "it's over in less than 2 minutes and if you don't like it then you don't have to do it again".

ETA: Clearly where there are sensory issues or other concerns that need to be taken into account that's a whole different issue.

 

[superme80]

I think I was about 10 or 11. I was in line for the Demon at Great America with my parents. My mom swore I could leave if I was scared at the front. Yeah she lied! It took my until I was about 14 to open my eyes on upside coasters.

 

[mickeyfan9194]

Probably about 12. The Corkscrew at Valleyfair.

 

[mamamary]

It was at Great Adventure in NJ. Gonna say maybe a young teen.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I grew up just a few miles away from Cedar Point and live even closer now. I’d say it was in 1976, the year the Corkscrew opened and I was 14. Can’t do rides like that anymore.

 

[disneychrista]

I was in my 20's.

 

[DLgal]

Either 5 or 6. My parents never created a culture of fear/nervousness around roller coasters so if my brother or I wanted to go on something and we met height requirements then on the ride we went. I never understood people who created fears in their children in this regard. My parents always said "it's over in less than 2 minutes and if you don't like it then you don't have to do it again".

ETA: Clearly where there are sensory issues or other concerns that need to be taken into account that's a whole different issue.

My parents never created a fear. My mom didn't like coasters and always skipped them, but my dad LOVES them and was always trying to convince us to join him.

We have never created a fear in our kids either. My older son rode Tower of Terror at 4 of his own free will, and then he regretted it for like the next 13 years. He is finally ready to try it again next time we go to WDW (he's 17 now). He rode CA Screamin as soon as he was tall enough. He's been DYING for his younger brother to be ready. Our whole family hi fived yesterday after my son rode it, and we had been encouraging him, but respecting his desire to wait.

For my part, I can't understand the parents who won't allow their kids to be scared of rides and who force them to ride, even when they clearly don't want to, by saying "you'll be fine.". I've seen it so many times and it makes me so sad. It's bullying at its worst.

 

[fla4fun]

I don’t like coasters, so I never have.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I was in my early teens when it opened I think, and it was the Sea Serpent on the boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ. I wasn't afraid of looping coasters, I just never had the opportunity to ride one before this one was built. I look at it now when I'm there and it's such a tame coaster compared to ones I've gone on since.

 

[Minnesota!]

Probably about 12. The Corkscrew at Valleyfair.

Same on Corkscrew, but much younger. Well under 10...parents company party was there each summer from damn near birth on! Loved it!

 

[PollyannaMom]

15 or 16? My own family had not done trips to big amusement parks when I was younger, so I'd never had a chance to try a looping coaster or to be too scared to. But that day I was at Darien Lake with a family I babysat for. One of the boys wanted go on the Viper and was in the "must ride with someone over __(whatever age)__" category. Mom didn't want to go, so I took him - and when a kid thinks you're brave, somehow you are.

 

[soccerdad72]

Probably 8 or 9, whenever I was fall enough. I think it was probably Corkscrew at Cedar Point. That, or the Double Loop at the old Geauga Lake.

My boys were complete opposite, and it worked out well for us. By the time our younger son, who is our daredevil was tall enough to do all the coasters, our older son was ready to ride them as well. We all still love coasters.

 

[Yoshi]

16, it was sooperdooperLooper at Hersheypark. I thought I would try it since there was only 1 loop and if I didn't like it, there were no more on the ride. I didn't like it the first time but rode Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg 4 year later, liked it and gave soopedooperLooper another chance. It became one of my favorite coasters in the park.

 

[bcla]

I think I was 6. Turn of the Century at (what was then) Marriott's Great America in Santa Clara, California. It was even made in Silicon Valley by Arrow Dynamics, whose first roller coaster was Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland. They constructed a lot of the early Disneyland rides or ride vehicles for WDI.

That ride still exists in a different form. They added a two more loops in addition to the corkscrew and renamed it The Demon. Marriott did the same thing at another park in Illinois.

I'm kind of surprised that the park is still there after all of these years, with the land value in Silicon Valley so high. They were supposedly going to sell it to build office buildings, but the city objected and ended up purchasing the park. They were worried that traffic would get really bad, especially when there was no nearby freeway.