Jordan Darrington was 6 years old when he discovered his lifetime passion: roller coasters. Now in his second season working as a unit supervisor for Elitch Gardens, Darrington, a 20-year-old University of Colorado finance student, remains enamored of the noisy, speedy rides that elicit more high- decibel screams than a horror-movie festival. — Claire Martin, The Denver Post
Q: What’s your favorite ride at Elitch’s?
A: I’d probably say Twister II. It’s wood, with some g-forces, speed and a great layout: two full drops, and two full helixes and a tunnel.
Q: Is a tunnel important in a roller coaster?
A: It makes the Twister II truly live up to its name. You feel like you’re going through a twister when you’re in the tunnel.
Q: How much time do you spend thinking about roller coasters?
A: Well. I’m a member of the Theme Park Review website, which is like ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts, another roller-coaster fan club). I’m a pretty avid reader and poster.
Q: Do you go on roller coasters when you travel?
A: Oh, yeah.
Q: Wait — do you actually plan your trips around roller coasters?
A: I do. This last year was a really good year for that. I had two domestic trips and one trip to Europe. During the first domestic trip, I rode roller coasters in Kings Island, Ohio, and Holiday World in Indiana. On the second domestic trip, I rode roller coasters in Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., and at Kings Dominion, which is also in Virginia.
Q: And in Europe?
A: Chessington, in London, and Thorpe Park, near London, and Alton Towers, in north England. Also, Gardaland in Italy, and Mirabilandia, which is also in Italy, and Movie Studios, which is also in Italy.
Q: Wow!
A: And Europa Park in Germany, and Phantasialand in Germany, and Wurzburg Fair. Also in Germany. And Efteling and Walibi World in Holland.
Q: Which one of those do you recommend to other roller coaster fans?
A: If I had to recommend a park, I would highly recommend Europa Park in Germany because it is a gorgeous park, with great atmosphere, thrilling rides and delicious food. My favorite coaster to date, which I would recommend, is iSpeed at Mirabilandia. It has all the elements to a great coaster: speed, a launch, height, inversions, quick transitions, and of course, it is a gorgeous coaster.
Colorado coasters
Looking for roller coaster thrills in Colorado? Here’s a list of the state’s permanent, mostly seasonal, rides. And as early as next summer, look on the Breckenridge ski resort slopes for an alpine coaster with a 2,500-foot drop. It was recently approved by the Breckenridge planning commission.
Cascade
North Pole Santa’s Workshop, 5050 Pikes Peak Highway
•Candy Cane coaster
Denver
Elitch Gardens, 9000 Elitch Circle
•Twister II
•Mind Eraser
•Sidewinder
•Boomerang
•Half Pipe
•Flying Coaster
•Cactus Coaster (Riders 54 inches tall and under)
Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
•Alpine Coaster
Golden
Heritage Square
•Miner Mike coaster
•Python Pit coaster
Henderson
Mile High Marketplace, 7007 E. 88th Ave. (near Interstate 76)
•Dragon roller coaster
Lakeside
Lakeside Amusement Park, 4601 Sheridan Blvd.
•Cyclone roller coaster
