^I know you weren't asking
me that question but I can give you my reason that the Beast ranks so low on my list. In short, the Beast has been tamed. It is not the monster that it was in the late 70's into the 80's.
Frankly, there are too many trim brakes. I mean just look at the first drop. The entire length is one long skid brake. Then the long tunneled straightaway that follows is another long skid brake. I believe there is another after the tunnel before the 2nd lift too. Then, there is the drop after the 2nd lift. Again, a loooong skid brake that leads all the way to the helix.
The Beast was also very rough when I rode it last time in 2001. I wasn't even on a wheel seat either.
It is probably the most over-rated wooden coaster on the planet. Most people that rank it so high, just simply haven't ridden enough wooden coasters to realize there are so many more better woodies out there. Longer is NOT always better!
I've also noticed that many of the people that rank the Beast #1 (or close) tend to be between ages 9 and 15. A fragile age when one is somewhat naive and tempted to believe everything they see and hear on Discovery Channel. They tend to be the sheep following the herd....
I'm not knocking anyone who ranks the Beast high on their list. It can be a really fun ride at night. I also remember my very first ride in 1988 before it had been tamed to death. I absolutely loved it then.
If PKI ever decides to get a new woodie, my recommendation would be to simply overhaul this monster and find a way to run it wide open like it was originally designed to do. It would be like a new coaster and I guarantee people would flock to the park by the thousands to try it out.
My Personal Top 10 North American woodies:
Hades
Thunderhead
Tremors
Avalanche
Phoenix
Comet~Great Escape
Coney Cyclone
Coaster~Vancouver
Boulderdash
Lightning Racer
