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 Review of Raging Wolf Bobs @ Geauga Lake
2 Rating Posted by: PhantomNik on 2/4/2008 6:10:00 PM
When I first rode Raging Wolf Bobs back in the early 90s, I was certainly impressed. Partly because the coaster was pretty stand-out, with great speed and pacing along a wildly intense course. And partly because during the ride someone’s hat flew off and came screaming back towards us. Without any hesitation as we sped along, my dad threw up his arm and snagged the hat out of the air just as a baseball player might snare a blistering line drive. Being that I was only about 12, that ninja-like move gave me another level of awe towards my father, while providing me with a great memory and ride experience. Then I rode again in the later 90s, and wow did this coaster go downhill! What was once speedy and forceful had then become slow and lumbering, with spots of sizable roughness to boot. What had happened to this coaster that had formerly won my thumbs up? I didn’t quite understand it. Well, looking back now, I think my timing was pretty good to have gotten another set of rides on it, shortly after the first retracking project. Now that this coaster sits sadly idle, and probably awaits a grizzly date with a wrecking ball, I am very happy that I was able to discover that the coaster that gave me such a fun memory as a child had renewed itself and started to return to its former great self. I only wish I would’ve gotten a ride when the retrack work was completed. But, as it was, Raging Wolf Bobs was simply put a good wooden roller coaster.

Wolf Bobs looked so good when I first rode it, glistening with its vibrant white painted wood, which is why it was rather depressing to see its appearance during my recent (and last) trip to Geauga Lake. The coaster really needed a paint job, and several sections were flaking badly. But perhaps that was in the plans once the retracking, obviously the new owners’ number one priority, was completed. There was no line when we rode this most recently, but that was not necessarily due to the overwhelming speed of the ride operators. More so, it was a statement of how the degrade of the coaster had turned away so many riders. They ran only one train, which was all that was really needed, but the crew took their sweet time loading it. The trains were decent enough, although not the most comfortable I’ve ridden in on a wooden coaster. Soon enough, we headed out of the station and started the climb up the lift hill. The first drop was back close to old form, as it was quick and provided a small hint of airtime towards the back of the train. It was also very smooth, a vast improvement over how it tracked just several years before. The layout was really interesting to me, as it was dubbed as a "triple out-and-back". The first "out" leg after the first drop was good, as the train got some decent speed and turned around heading into a drop, before going back along the lift hill and into a high turn. This whole sequence was part of the original retracking, and it provided a smooth ride that tracked very nicely. As the coaster headed to the second "out" portion, the ride got rather bumpy and shuffled a good deal from side to side, but in a way that wasn’t thrilling so much as awkward. It wasn’t rough, but it certainly disrupted the flow that was fairly good in the coaster’s first third. However, the Bobs finished rather strong, with some more nice turns that led to a drop that helped the train regain some speed. Some bunny hills began the third and final "out" run, and although they were retracked and smooth, they were devoid of airtime. Unfortunately, that was the ride’s one major negative for me. Aside from the light pop on the first drop in the back, the airtime was very low throughout the layout. The last turnaround was nice and quick, and the ending run into the brakes was also pretty good. We ended up riding again later that day and had a very similar ride. It was fun again, and the improvement on this coaster was appreciated.

Overall, I would characterize Raging Wolf Bobs as a good coaster,<
 
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