It just does stuff no other woodie outside of its pre-fab cousins do. No other woodie in the states is capable of the type of ejector airtime El Toro offers and no other woodie can do the crazy strong positive G’s it’s capable of pulling.
Sure something like the Voyage is probably more well rounded but as an Intamin lover, El Toro is them at their absolute best, so give me Toro all day everyday, it’s the GOAT woodie and I don’t think it’ll ever be topped by another one.
For me basically El Toro is I305 in wood
Are either of them perfect? no
They could be more well rounded but what they do offer is unbridled intensity
Both of them are in my top 5
It’s my number 1 and I’ll try to explain why.
My favorite coaster element is a great drop that gives you that stomach drop feeling. El Toro gives you three of those back to back. The anticipation up the fast lift hill is also some of the scariest out there because you don’t realize how high you are until the turnaround.
I prefer less elements that leave a mark over chaotic rides where you don’t know what just happened. El Toro is relentless, but it’s like a well choreographed action scene where you always know what’s going on. It leaves more of an impact that way for me. It’s kind of laid out like a three-act story. Act one are the initial drops, act two is the turnaround and headchoppers, and act three is the twister section at the end. Each part is distinct from the others.
Coasters are always better to me when they interact with something. In Toro’s case, it interacts with itself through crazy head chopper moments.
Finally, I just like that it’s real wood. I’m simple like that.
We may be the same person because this is exactly how I would describe why El Toro is my #1. It was designed with intention, elegance, and finesse… and yet it is still absolutely insane. It’s a masterpiece.
For me, the bad kind. I had marks in my skin from the seatbelt being jabbed into my side by the restraint and I've never ridden Toro without getting a migraine after
I agree that the middle is slow. It’s also not the smoothest (I last rode in 2022 so maybe it’s better now), and it’s not a long ride. It’s far from perfect, but it’s still my #2 overall. It even places above more “perfect” coasters such as Velocicoaster, which has a much more consistent and complete layout.
However, the first drop, the following camelbacks, and the rolling thunder hill are four of the most powerful and sustained moments of airtime I can think of. My favorite coaster elements are ones that give sustained ejector airtime, so having four insane airtime moments on the same ride is heaven. I get that some people prioritize relentless pacing, but personally, I care more about how intense a coaster is. Even though every element on Toro doesn’t hit, the ones that do have some of the craziest airtime I’ve experienced.
Back to my Velocicoaster comparison, Velocicoaster is objectively the “better” ride in my mind. The layout is varied and creative, there’s no dull moments, it’s glass smooth, and the theming is impeccable. But I get more excited lining up for Toro because I know I’ll be thrown into my lap at wayyy harder than Velocicoaster ever would. It’s also worth noting that even though Toro’s layout falls off in the middle, it’s still not shabby! The twister section is loads of fun, and the middle has some floater airtime.
Ex took me on it years ago as a “If you ride El Toro with me, I’ll ride Kingda Ka with you” thing. To this day, I’ve yet to ride anything that has a first drop as violent as this ride does.
Too painful for me to enjoy it. I shouldn't feel like I'm about to get a concussion from a ride. It's a shame because that first drop is so incredible, if only the latter half or so of the ride wasn't so rough it would be one of my favorites for sure.
Edit: First time I rode it several years ago, it was one of my favorites at the park. Since then it's gotten worse. Went on it yesterday and it was slightly better (i.e., no whiplash) but it still wasn't bearable with all the head rattling.
Yeah this ride has yo-yod for me. 2017 - really fun but too rough/intense for more than a couple rides. 2022 (pre-shutdown) - felt a few potholes but overall smoothest experiences on the ride. 2024 - dear God, I forgot how good this ride is but I'm worried about my health riding this thing.
I'll get downvoted in this community...but I can't stand it. It's FAR too painful. The ejector elements are terrible. This ride hurts and I have no desire to ride it again. I rode it twice to see if I chose the wrong seat. Nope...just painful and miserable.
It was my #1 when it opened. It was vile September 2023. I'll never ride it again the lower turns felt dangerous worse than Hercules or any woodie ever had to me. I don't get the current appeal.. it was once a work of art.
I love wooden coasters, and I truly believe they’ve always been uncomfortable. You just have to saddle up for it. Not a top 10 coaster but it is the second best wooden I’ve ridden behind the Beast.
See my flair. It was one of the first large scale coasters I ever rode and currently sits at my all time #1 spot out of the 53 coasters I've ridden.
Its an insane airtime machine that feels like its trying to kill you in the best way possible and honestly isn't that rough so long as you don't sit in a wheel seat. Second to last row is the best row.
I will always love El Toro and it will be a sad day if/when something tops it. El Toro was also one of the first coasters I've ever ridden period (the last of 5 coasters I rode on my first day ever riding roller coasters on my 2013 SFGAdv trip), so its essentially always been my #1.
I would love to ride 2006 El Toro again. The lift never slowed down at the top and it threw you over the first drop violently in the back seat. Even more so than now.
So good. It’s funny because every time I’ve ridden it I’ve loved it more and more. When I first started riding it I found it very overrated, but now it’s my 7th overall favorite coaster. It’s at my home park so I have a strong connection with it. It also has four of the undisputed greatest airtime moments of all time. Second favorite woodie no question
Strongly lives up to its name. That’s the nicest thing I can say about it. I really wanted to enjoy El Toro, but I really felt like I was going to be injured by it. I could never marathon El Toro the way I marathoned Kingda Ka that night.
1. NITRO
2. KING DA KA
3. JERSEY DEVIL
Sorry man one train all the time with Medusa is ridiculous
Jersey Devil is down to one train this year too.. that sux
This park is a disaster the past few years. They shut down some of their flatrides for the whole season including the world’s tallest drop tower (which you’d think would be a priority). Aside from the ones they announced, their HUSS top spin, their Madhouse, Swashbuckler, and Cyborg are closed 70% of the time. One train ops on the open coasters, the others are all broken down. Not a single one of their promised anniversary attractions are ready on time. Other projects like the new coat of paint for Nitro from last year still haven’t been done. El Toro gets rougher every year, and there’s been complaints about Medusa developing a rattle this past season. A video went viral earlier showing how the floor on Medusa isn’t dropping out properly but the park is still running her and causing more wear and tear. Their scrambler was covered in rust and literally squealing the last time I rode it. Last year, Joker was broken down about half of the time and they somehow only had one operational train on Batman the Ride for the whole season even though it’s a cloned B&M invert which should be super easy to get new parts for. I really thought this park would be a top priority for the chain considering it has the tallest coaster, the tallest drop tower, and one of the highest awarded wooden coasters of all time, plus it’s the 50th anniversary of the park, but apparently not. I refuse to even visit until they’re running more than one train on Medusa because I just want to go and marathon her
I’ve heard complaints that they were still one train but I haven’t been to the park this season to confirm. I’m waiting for multi train Medusa because that’s the only reason I visit my home park now
that wouldn’t be good at all!! I’ll report back the next time I’m there hahah. believe it or not, Medusa has been closed every time I’ve gone to SFGA! Fingers crossed for better luck
I wish I rode it years ago. I rode it for the first time last year. I loved the first half but found the last half less than thrilling. It’s the nature of this hobby; some great coasters may have off days. I just happened to ride it on an off day.
A crazy powerhouse of a coaster, especially the drop, thunder hills and the one hill in the middle near the drop, but it's so rough so it doesn't make my top 5. I think I put it at #8 or #9, but it's a great coaster I just wish it was smoother. It actually made my elbow bleed a little and that's never happened before on any coaster
I ride it a few weeks ago for the first time in scorching hot weather. I really enjoyed all three of my rides. It was running really good and was smooth. Good ejector at some parts of the ride . Great layout but not perfect by any means. it definitely has a dead spot or two in the layout. I do think it’s a wee bit over rated online.
Maybe I need a night ride or something to really push it over the edge.
All in all though still a great ride !!
Ride it in June and it just didn’t feel as much aggressive as I wanted it to. It had the ejector but it didn’t try to kill you. With that being said, it’s still #6. Still great, but no longer top 3. Thankfully it’s smoother though. The state it’s in now with the airtime from my October rides would be #2 in my rankings.
My most anticipated coaster for several years. Missed it in 2020 due to Covid canceling trips, missed 2022 by a week due to the breakdown, and May 2023. Finally made it back in June 2023 and was so excited to finally ride the worlds greatest wooden coaster, and was massively disappointed. The airtime was not nearly as profound as people hype it up to be, and there are some massive potholes in the twister section. I rode in rows 15, 12 and 11 and was done after that. I just didn’t want to ride it anymore. Hopefully they fix it so my next trip won’t be so bad, because Intamin is my favorite manufacturer and I had such high hopes for this to blow me away.
Sadly I only had the opportunity to go to great adventure once since I am from Europe and el toro was closed at the time due to an accident. I would have loved to ride it. Kingdaka was great tho.
As a super regular Balder rider for fuck knows how long, El Toro is a bucket list coaster for me. I physically need to ride it. Shame it requires a lot of effort on my part but such is life. I'll wait till my son is old enough to want to ride it.
I got one ride on it in the very back seat with my brother while visiting family in the area. I begged that we go , we barely had about 4 hours at the park and it was super busy. So all I got was that one ride on it. And to this day, it's still my favorite rollercoaster 6 years later.
Nothing has even come close to the rolling thunder hill momen ever since for me. I had no idea what to expect and that part was easily my favorite moment on a coaster ever.
I'm from Germany and the amusement park closest to where I live is Heide Park Soltau. It's decent overall, but not playing in the big league. It does however host El Toros predecessor "[Colossos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossos_-_Kampf_der_Giganten)". Also designed by Werner Stengel and built by Intamin 5 years before El Toro, just a tiny bit smaller in height and apperently very similar layout. It used to be the larget timber coaster in the world and they ran a ton of commericals for it back in the day. I'd say it's still a very iconic rollercoaster in Germany.
For me Colossos is still amazing to ride and definitely more fun than for example steel mega coasters! I've been on Millenium Force in Cedar Point or Silver Star in Europa Park which both have a much higher drop, but to me the 50 meter drop on wooded tracks is still much more existing! Not the craziest coaster I've been on, but a true evergreen!
My white whale. I've ridden it 1x and can't rate it because I threw up after, tarnishing the experience. Ever since, it's been closed on every visit, so I haven't been able to give it another shot yet. Hope to get on later this month...
Oh good! Another El Toro post. I’ve never ridden it or seen it in person, but thanks to this subreddit’s biweekly post on it I could recognize it faster than my own mother.
It’s not for me. I understand that a lot of people love this coaster, and more power to them. I’m glad you’ve got a coaster that you enjoy that much. It’s just not the kind of experience that I enjoy. Luckily, there are plenty of coasters that I enjoy, so we can all have a great time riding our favorites.
I really loved it after my first visit last month. Like, way more than I expected to and to the point that I’m considering placing it as my #1 over Gwazi and SteVe.
I rode it 12 times in multiple rows and just couldn’t get enough. But I think that’s because ejector is one of my favorite sensations, and Toro has 3 of the strongest moments on anything I’ve done. I also mostly rode in middle rows of cars so I didn’t have any roughness issues.
Per your points, I also don’t mind the couple moments where it’s less powerful like in the middle, as it feels like a nice breather before that insane rolling thunder hill. For me to love something it doesn’t *have* to be balls to the wall the entire time, however I understand why it wouldn’t be some people’s favorite for this reason.
Ok also finally I was obsessed with the operations because they were SENDING the trains. Ops were literally sprinting to check lapbars which I just thought was so cool :)
In it’s early years it was so smooth it was hard to believe it was a woodie but as it aged it became rougher. I found the non-wheel seats to have a less jarring ride. It’s still my favorite wooden coaster.
Rode it for the first time this year, have probably 25 rides on it. I love this coaster. It is one of the best in my opinion at pairing intensity with grace(?)
I know it was rougher in years past but those airtime moments are genuinely unmatched in my opinion. The first drop in row 17 is just incredible, and the Rolling thunder hill is the best single airtime moment I've ever been on.
The second half is definitely not as good, but I still enjoy it and it keeps the intensity up through the twister section. I keep trying to put coasters above it, but it has to be my #2 or 3
I'm planning to ride it for the first time later this summer. Can't wait, is generally my thoughts. Those camelbacks look so amazing, and the drop! Holy smokes.
That’s a good point. In my mind, I’m mainly talking about people like Airtime Thrills, who puts it over a whole slew of rides that seem like that seem to be very obviously better than Toro.
I get you, but the difference between 8 and 3 is only 5 slots. If it was your #40 or something I would understand your question a little more lol. Also Airtime Thrills just went to Europe for the first time, he has a zillion credits but a lot of them are kiddie coasters and random small park rides.
I really frikken hope its open when I visit in August.
Its my first trip to SFGAdv and all I'm hearing is everything is randomly closed all the time.
I really wanna ride King Da Ka because its record breaking and the last big hydraulic launch, and El Toro cause everyone is always talking about it.
It's horrible now and way overhyped. In reality, it's not even a top 30 coaster. Thunderhead and hell even Rampage shit all over El Toro. Jack Rabbits double down gives more airtime. El toro just hurts, is rough, makes GASM seem like a wing, and needs to be torn down.
Facts. Only facts. Amazing hiw many so called thoosies have the same exact rides as their tips. All followers and afraid to say hoe you really feel. El Toro sucks now. It will never get better unless they topper track it. Will probably be torn down by 2030.
It's one of the few coasters that still scares me a bit (~360 credits) while it rips through the course. The airtime in the back from the drop and first few hills is insane!
It's so good, but (as of April) it's too rough (jarring) in some spots to where I won't marathon it. I hope the new Six Flags take better care of this beast.
First two hills have the strongest sustained ejector in the game, case closed. Nothing else really matters to me but the rest is also great so that still helps.
Seems like the kind of coaster people like so much they make it part of their online persona.
hehehe
I get it. I was going to name myself "Lucy's Crabby Cabbies Enjoyer" but chickened out.
I named my penis Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger.
My wife calls mine Goliath Jr.
King Cobra
Ninja
For those of you who are unfamiliar...
But like in case you were wondering, a block zone is—
I feel called out
It’s okay, you’re not alone
You at least have the excuse of being married to your favorite coaster
yeah...my favorite...right...
Well I would have sex with Ryan, because he's going to own his own youtube channel.
Yeah but he caused the El Toro derail by making a cheesy pita on the topper track oven.
It just does stuff no other woodie outside of its pre-fab cousins do. No other woodie in the states is capable of the type of ejector airtime El Toro offers and no other woodie can do the crazy strong positive G’s it’s capable of pulling. Sure something like the Voyage is probably more well rounded but as an Intamin lover, El Toro is them at their absolute best, so give me Toro all day everyday, it’s the GOAT woodie and I don’t think it’ll ever be topped by another one.
For me basically El Toro is I305 in wood Are either of them perfect? no They could be more well rounded but what they do offer is unbridled intensity Both of them are in my top 5
....A wooden I305 sounds glorious. Even make it an RMC.
It’s my number 1 and I’ll try to explain why. My favorite coaster element is a great drop that gives you that stomach drop feeling. El Toro gives you three of those back to back. The anticipation up the fast lift hill is also some of the scariest out there because you don’t realize how high you are until the turnaround. I prefer less elements that leave a mark over chaotic rides where you don’t know what just happened. El Toro is relentless, but it’s like a well choreographed action scene where you always know what’s going on. It leaves more of an impact that way for me. It’s kind of laid out like a three-act story. Act one are the initial drops, act two is the turnaround and headchoppers, and act three is the twister section at the end. Each part is distinct from the others. Coasters are always better to me when they interact with something. In Toro’s case, it interacts with itself through crazy head chopper moments. Finally, I just like that it’s real wood. I’m simple like that.
We may be the same person because this is exactly how I would describe why El Toro is my #1. It was designed with intention, elegance, and finesse… and yet it is still absolutely insane. It’s a masterpiece.
It's like you're in my head, I wouldn't describe this ride any other way
Very well said. The three-act thing, wow, yes.
You totally read my mind! It’s not my absolute favorite coaster, but it is my favorite woodie for all of these reasons.
Exactly. The first part is so simple, just massive drop after massive drop, and that's coaster heaven to me
It's kinda perfect
Hey, different strokes for different folks lol. That’s how I feel about Zadra and lots of people think that’s the worst hyper RMC
Who thinks that? It’s generally in every top 5 list I see
people that go in expecting a traditional rmc experience with Zadra end up disappointed, see a lot of people not liking it on twitter
Zadra is my #1 and el Toro is also my #9! Haha
I rode it and it hurt me
The good kind or the bad kind?
For me, the bad kind. I had marks in my skin from the seatbelt being jabbed into my side by the restraint and I've never ridden Toro without getting a migraine after
Yeah, it was a bit painful in a bad way from day one. I can only imagine how much worse that part has gotten.
I rode it the same year it broke. I suppose that’s as rough as it ever got. I did not have fun due to the pain.
Me too, I was a little bummed
Ya it's painful and sucks. I rode it twice...that's enough for me.
I agree that the middle is slow. It’s also not the smoothest (I last rode in 2022 so maybe it’s better now), and it’s not a long ride. It’s far from perfect, but it’s still my #2 overall. It even places above more “perfect” coasters such as Velocicoaster, which has a much more consistent and complete layout. However, the first drop, the following camelbacks, and the rolling thunder hill are four of the most powerful and sustained moments of airtime I can think of. My favorite coaster elements are ones that give sustained ejector airtime, so having four insane airtime moments on the same ride is heaven. I get that some people prioritize relentless pacing, but personally, I care more about how intense a coaster is. Even though every element on Toro doesn’t hit, the ones that do have some of the craziest airtime I’ve experienced. Back to my Velocicoaster comparison, Velocicoaster is objectively the “better” ride in my mind. The layout is varied and creative, there’s no dull moments, it’s glass smooth, and the theming is impeccable. But I get more excited lining up for Toro because I know I’ll be thrown into my lap at wayyy harder than Velocicoaster ever would. It’s also worth noting that even though Toro’s layout falls off in the middle, it’s still not shabby! The twister section is loads of fun, and the middle has some floater airtime.
wow I wish I was this motivated to write essays for school
I do think the middle kind of dings it slightly because the middle hills do not hit as hard as one would like
Ex took me on it years ago as a “If you ride El Toro with me, I’ll ride Kingda Ka with you” thing. To this day, I’ve yet to ride anything that has a first drop as violent as this ride does.
The best drop and some of the best elements you can find on any ride
Top 5 woodie
pre-2020 Lightning Rod, El Toro, GhostRider, Voyage, T-Express
No GCI? I'd put Mystic, Renegade, or Thunderhead on there instead of GhostRider. GR is good, but the laterals are a bit much.
Shoulda really made this a top 3
For me (ones I’ve ridden) its Phoenix, Mystic, El Toro, Ghost Rider, Boulder Dash. In that order
Too painful for me to enjoy it. I shouldn't feel like I'm about to get a concussion from a ride. It's a shame because that first drop is so incredible, if only the latter half or so of the ride wasn't so rough it would be one of my favorites for sure. Edit: First time I rode it several years ago, it was one of my favorites at the park. Since then it's gotten worse. Went on it yesterday and it was slightly better (i.e., no whiplash) but it still wasn't bearable with all the head rattling.
Same...just hurts. I don't like it.
Ride in a middle row of the car and the roughness virtually disappears!
Yeah this ride has yo-yod for me. 2017 - really fun but too rough/intense for more than a couple rides. 2022 (pre-shutdown) - felt a few potholes but overall smoothest experiences on the ride. 2024 - dear God, I forgot how good this ride is but I'm worried about my health riding this thing.
El Toro isn't rough :/
It lives up to its name.
I think El Toro has gotten rough over the last decade with its age, wear, and incidents. Back in the day it was as smooth as steel.
I'll get downvoted in this community...but I can't stand it. It's FAR too painful. The ejector elements are terrible. This ride hurts and I have no desire to ride it again. I rode it twice to see if I chose the wrong seat. Nope...just painful and miserable.
It was my #1 when it opened. It was vile September 2023. I'll never ride it again the lower turns felt dangerous worse than Hercules or any woodie ever had to me. I don't get the current appeal.. it was once a work of art.
I love wooden coasters, and I truly believe they’ve always been uncomfortable. You just have to saddle up for it. Not a top 10 coaster but it is the second best wooden I’ve ridden behind the Beast.
The Beast isn't even the best woodie at KI.
First half into the ejector hill starting the second half is perfect to me. I personally do not like the snaking sections afterwards though
See my flair. It was one of the first large scale coasters I ever rode and currently sits at my all time #1 spot out of the 53 coasters I've ridden. Its an insane airtime machine that feels like its trying to kill you in the best way possible and honestly isn't that rough so long as you don't sit in a wheel seat. Second to last row is the best row. I will always love El Toro and it will be a sad day if/when something tops it. El Toro was also one of the first coasters I've ever ridden period (the last of 5 coasters I rode on my first day ever riding roller coasters on my 2013 SFGAdv trip), so its essentially always been my #1.
I would love to ride 2006 El Toro again. The lift never slowed down at the top and it threw you over the first drop violently in the back seat. Even more so than now.
Back then it was an insane ride
So good. It’s funny because every time I’ve ridden it I’ve loved it more and more. When I first started riding it I found it very overrated, but now it’s my 7th overall favorite coaster. It’s at my home park so I have a strong connection with it. It also has four of the undisputed greatest airtime moments of all time. Second favorite woodie no question
Every time I visit the park it’s closed :( I have yet to ride it. This year for sure!
Strongly lives up to its name. That’s the nicest thing I can say about it. I really wanted to enjoy El Toro, but I really felt like I was going to be injured by it. I could never marathon El Toro the way I marathoned Kingda Ka that night.
It’s not even in the top three coasters at the park so I’m always shocked when it’s in someone’s personal top three
Wild take when it’s the only reason I bother going to this park
1. NITRO 2. KING DA KA 3. JERSEY DEVIL Sorry man one train all the time with Medusa is ridiculous Jersey Devil is down to one train this year too.. that sux
This park is a disaster the past few years. They shut down some of their flatrides for the whole season including the world’s tallest drop tower (which you’d think would be a priority). Aside from the ones they announced, their HUSS top spin, their Madhouse, Swashbuckler, and Cyborg are closed 70% of the time. One train ops on the open coasters, the others are all broken down. Not a single one of their promised anniversary attractions are ready on time. Other projects like the new coat of paint for Nitro from last year still haven’t been done. El Toro gets rougher every year, and there’s been complaints about Medusa developing a rattle this past season. A video went viral earlier showing how the floor on Medusa isn’t dropping out properly but the park is still running her and causing more wear and tear. Their scrambler was covered in rust and literally squealing the last time I rode it. Last year, Joker was broken down about half of the time and they somehow only had one operational train on Batman the Ride for the whole season even though it’s a cloned B&M invert which should be super easy to get new parts for. I really thought this park would be a top priority for the chain considering it has the tallest coaster, the tallest drop tower, and one of the highest awarded wooden coasters of all time, plus it’s the 50th anniversary of the park, but apparently not. I refuse to even visit until they’re running more than one train on Medusa because I just want to go and marathon her
I concur- nice write up- they had two trains running on Batman on Monday 🥳 lol.
Most crews stack 3 trains nowadays anyways, so two is fine (and waaaaay better than 1.)
wait is jersey devil, el toro, etc all still one train?? I thought that was just pre-Memorial Day schedules...
I’ve heard complaints that they were still one train but I haven’t been to the park this season to confirm. I’m waiting for multi train Medusa because that’s the only reason I visit my home park now
that wouldn’t be good at all!! I’ll report back the next time I’m there hahah. believe it or not, Medusa has been closed every time I’ve gone to SFGA! Fingers crossed for better luck
wait is jersey devil, el toro, etc all still one train?? I thought that was just pre-Memorial Day schedules...
El toro had 2 going on Monday- Jersey devil wasn’t even open on Monday
oof…… hope it’s back up soon!!
It’s up running with 2 trains same with everything else except Medusa that had one
great news, thanks!
I wish I rode it years ago. I rode it for the first time last year. I loved the first half but found the last half less than thrilling. It’s the nature of this hobby; some great coasters may have off days. I just happened to ride it on an off day.
The most overrated coaster in the US. Awful trains too, left me with a literal bruised ass. Fun airtime but that’s about it for me.
The trains are super finicky too, you basically have to be stapled for the train to dispatch
Best wooden
Airtime Machine!
A crazy powerhouse of a coaster, especially the drop, thunder hills and the one hill in the middle near the drop, but it's so rough so it doesn't make my top 5. I think I put it at #8 or #9, but it's a great coaster I just wish it was smoother. It actually made my elbow bleed a little and that's never happened before on any coaster
I've never ridden it, I wish I fit on it :(
Easily the best coaster I’ve ridden
Amazing 1st half, ho-hum 2nd half. It is an extremely fun ride overall but definitely overrated.
I ride it a few weeks ago for the first time in scorching hot weather. I really enjoyed all three of my rides. It was running really good and was smooth. Good ejector at some parts of the ride . Great layout but not perfect by any means. it definitely has a dead spot or two in the layout. I do think it’s a wee bit over rated online. Maybe I need a night ride or something to really push it over the edge. All in all though still a great ride !!
Best first half on any coaster, second half is just good
Love it
Ride it in June and it just didn’t feel as much aggressive as I wanted it to. It had the ejector but it didn’t try to kill you. With that being said, it’s still #6. Still great, but no longer top 3. Thankfully it’s smoother though. The state it’s in now with the airtime from my October rides would be #2 in my rankings.
My most anticipated coaster for several years. Missed it in 2020 due to Covid canceling trips, missed 2022 by a week due to the breakdown, and May 2023. Finally made it back in June 2023 and was so excited to finally ride the worlds greatest wooden coaster, and was massively disappointed. The airtime was not nearly as profound as people hype it up to be, and there are some massive potholes in the twister section. I rode in rows 15, 12 and 11 and was done after that. I just didn’t want to ride it anymore. Hopefully they fix it so my next trip won’t be so bad, because Intamin is my favorite manufacturer and I had such high hopes for this to blow me away.
Sadly I only had the opportunity to go to great adventure once since I am from Europe and el toro was closed at the time due to an accident. I would have loved to ride it. Kingdaka was great tho.
As a super regular Balder rider for fuck knows how long, El Toro is a bucket list coaster for me. I physically need to ride it. Shame it requires a lot of effort on my part but such is life. I'll wait till my son is old enough to want to ride it.
Awesome coaster !!!
I got one ride on it in the very back seat with my brother while visiting family in the area. I begged that we go , we barely had about 4 hours at the park and it was super busy. So all I got was that one ride on it. And to this day, it's still my favorite rollercoaster 6 years later. Nothing has even come close to the rolling thunder hill momen ever since for me. I had no idea what to expect and that part was easily my favorite moment on a coaster ever.
I'm from Germany and the amusement park closest to where I live is Heide Park Soltau. It's decent overall, but not playing in the big league. It does however host El Toros predecessor "[Colossos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossos_-_Kampf_der_Giganten)". Also designed by Werner Stengel and built by Intamin 5 years before El Toro, just a tiny bit smaller in height and apperently very similar layout. It used to be the larget timber coaster in the world and they ran a ton of commericals for it back in the day. I'd say it's still a very iconic rollercoaster in Germany. For me Colossos is still amazing to ride and definitely more fun than for example steel mega coasters! I've been on Millenium Force in Cedar Point or Silver Star in Europa Park which both have a much higher drop, but to me the 50 meter drop on wooded tracks is still much more existing! Not the craziest coaster I've been on, but a true evergreen!
My white whale. I've ridden it 1x and can't rate it because I threw up after, tarnishing the experience. Ever since, it's been closed on every visit, so I haven't been able to give it another shot yet. Hope to get on later this month...
My number 1
when im financially stable i will visit it
Oh good! Another El Toro post. I’ve never ridden it or seen it in person, but thanks to this subreddit’s biweekly post on it I could recognize it faster than my own mother.
It’s not for me. I understand that a lot of people love this coaster, and more power to them. I’m glad you’ve got a coaster that you enjoy that much. It’s just not the kind of experience that I enjoy. Luckily, there are plenty of coasters that I enjoy, so we can all have a great time riding our favorites.
Rougher than I was expecting, but was still a great ride. Loved the airtime and that first drop.
I really loved it after my first visit last month. Like, way more than I expected to and to the point that I’m considering placing it as my #1 over Gwazi and SteVe. I rode it 12 times in multiple rows and just couldn’t get enough. But I think that’s because ejector is one of my favorite sensations, and Toro has 3 of the strongest moments on anything I’ve done. I also mostly rode in middle rows of cars so I didn’t have any roughness issues. Per your points, I also don’t mind the couple moments where it’s less powerful like in the middle, as it feels like a nice breather before that insane rolling thunder hill. For me to love something it doesn’t *have* to be balls to the wall the entire time, however I understand why it wouldn’t be some people’s favorite for this reason. Ok also finally I was obsessed with the operations because they were SENDING the trains. Ops were literally sprinting to check lapbars which I just thought was so cool :)
Great ride, but I feel like it’s a bit much for being the park’s only woodie as of now.
Two GREAT drops but boy, the rest of the ride is ROUGH. The last time I was on it, I thought I broke my back, no joke. Haven't been on it since.
In it’s early years it was so smooth it was hard to believe it was a woodie but as it aged it became rougher. I found the non-wheel seats to have a less jarring ride. It’s still my favorite wooden coaster.
Rode it for the first time this year, have probably 25 rides on it. I love this coaster. It is one of the best in my opinion at pairing intensity with grace(?) I know it was rougher in years past but those airtime moments are genuinely unmatched in my opinion. The first drop in row 17 is just incredible, and the Rolling thunder hill is the best single airtime moment I've ever been on. The second half is definitely not as good, but I still enjoy it and it keeps the intensity up through the twister section. I keep trying to put coasters above it, but it has to be my #2 or 3
The coaster hasn’t aged well. If you rode it when it first opened you’d have a different opinion. A lot of sentiment is likely nostalgia.
I'm planning to ride it for the first time later this summer. Can't wait, is generally my thoughts. Those camelbacks look so amazing, and the drop! Holy smokes.
Best wooden coaster in the country and maybe the world
Roller coaster 👍
Enjoyed it immensely. Bought a T-shirt. Got stuck on the lift hill for 20 minutes. Would love the chance to ride it again.
Fucking great. I want it in the UK in my back garden.
It’s in my top 10 and if it were just a smidge smoother it’d be in my top 5
Not world class like fury,gwazi,VC,steel V
Depends how bad you get stapled by ops.
If it’s your #8 of 318 how can’t you imagine it being in anyone’s top 3?
That’s a good point. In my mind, I’m mainly talking about people like Airtime Thrills, who puts it over a whole slew of rides that seem like that seem to be very obviously better than Toro.
I get you, but the difference between 8 and 3 is only 5 slots. If it was your #40 or something I would understand your question a little more lol. Also Airtime Thrills just went to Europe for the first time, he has a zillion credits but a lot of them are kiddie coasters and random small park rides.
When it 1st opened it was amazing, 13 years later it was a hot mess of badly maintained trains and track.
Have yet to ride it, kinda tired of hearing about it tbh. Hopefully it’s good tho.
I really frikken hope its open when I visit in August. Its my first trip to SFGAdv and all I'm hearing is everything is randomly closed all the time. I really wanna ride King Da Ka because its record breaking and the last big hydraulic launch, and El Toro cause everyone is always talking about it.
It's horrible now and way overhyped. In reality, it's not even a top 30 coaster. Thunderhead and hell even Rampage shit all over El Toro. Jack Rabbits double down gives more airtime. El toro just hurts, is rough, makes GASM seem like a wing, and needs to be torn down.
Man, you’ve got a stove full of hot takes here.
Facts. Only facts. Amazing hiw many so called thoosies have the same exact rides as their tips. All followers and afraid to say hoe you really feel. El Toro sucks now. It will never get better unless they topper track it. Will probably be torn down by 2030.
Will make an amazing RMC conversion someday
I rode back in 2021. Great ride but VERY overrated in my opinion.
It's one of the few coasters that still scares me a bit (~360 credits) while it rips through the course. The airtime in the back from the drop and first few hills is insane! It's so good, but (as of April) it's too rough (jarring) in some spots to where I won't marathon it. I hope the new Six Flags take better care of this beast.
First two hills have the strongest sustained ejector in the game, case closed. Nothing else really matters to me but the rest is also great so that still helps.
Skyrush has stronger
Looks overrated