What’s a dark coaster?

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Dark coasters are indoor roller coasters with manipulated lighting conditions to create complete darkness. They are often major attractions in theme parks, with changing lighting conditions timed for maximum effect. Riding in the dark can be thrilling or scary, and safety gear is important. It is recommended to try a roller coaster with levels of lighting before riding a completely pitch-black coaster.

A dark coaster is an indoor roller coaster with lighting conditions that can be manipulated so that riders sit in complete darkness. Many roller coasters have a mix of light and dark conditions to thrill and terrify their riders, and many major theme parks have one; such coasters often become major attractions. If you’re not sure whether or not a theme park has a dark coaster, you can check with the staff or read the site’s reviews, although such coasters are typically discussed in promotional materials, often at length.

Riding in the dark on a roller coaster can be quite an intense experience. Since you can’t see the trail ahead of you, you have no way of knowing which way you’re going and how you’ll get there. Some people find this experience quite thrilling, enjoying the unpredictability of the experience and savoring the stomach-turning and nerve-wracking accompaniment. For others, this coaster is a little too intense and scary.

A typical dark coaster starts out in the light, with the operators making sure everyone is strapped in. As visibility is often limited, safety gear is especially important, as riders cannot prepare for the events ahead on the roller coaster. Once everyone is safe, the coaster starts and the coaster cars travel through an indoor environment.

Often, a dark coaster follows some sort of thematic journey; for example, people on a roller coaster might be told they are traveling through space, so objects such as planets, moons, and other “spacecraft” would emerge from the darkness as the roller coaster moves through space. The changing lighting conditions on a dark ride are typically timed to maximum effect, keeping riders choppy and uncertain until the end of the ride. Typically, the level of whooping is high, as riders react physically and vocally to the wild ride.

For those who have never ridden on a dark coaster before, starting on a completely pitch black coaster may not be the best move. It can be helpful to close your eyes or wear a blindfold on a regular roller coaster to get a sense of how it feels in an environment where you can easily open your eyes again to see what is going on, or to ride a roller coaster with levels of lighting. People who find themselves uncomfortable or distressed during a test ride may want to skip the real roller coaster experience.




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