Decent wooden coaster, but really overrated in my opinion. I really loved how the ride traveled through the woods, and the first drop gave good air in the back and the tunnel at the bottom was great. Following that were tons of turns and small hills that gave no air at all and honestly were a tad boring, but they were pretty smooth in my opinion. The second half was excellent as the double helix was quite a thrill, as it was fast and had insane laterals. It was rough though, but I could tolerate it.

This ride could go down as the best wooden roller coaster ever.

Date Ridden : June of 2006 and September 23rd of 2007. Times Ridden: 5 total with four rides in 2006 on the front, back, and middle of the train and 1 time last week in the 3rd row of the 2nd car. I really don&#39;t know what to say. As of 7 days ago the beast was placed solidly in my top 20 rides and my top 10 woodies. For me, Kings Island is rarely a place to spend an entire day. It is merely a stopping point between my home in GA and Cedar Point of which I admit I am the biggest fanboy in the world. As to why, I&#39;ll get into that later this week. However, the Beast has always been worth a stop and this year on our way home we were looking forward to riding it more than ever. It was to be our 50th and final roller coaster ride of the weekend. Not a bad weekend I&#39;d say.But the Beast killed me. Last year&#39;s ride on the front was probably a 10 for me. It was long, fast, and reasonably comfortable. The back ride was different but still not horrible. It probably scored in the 6 to 7 range. This year? Pain, pain, and more pain. Despite the presence of numerous trims, I was slammed repeatedly into the back of my seat, the lap bar, the middle section and even crashed heads with my riding partner! And that was all before the second lift hill! I was ready for the ride to be over so we could get some Skyline Chili and head back to GA. I had recently ridden two of the reportedly roughest wooden coasters in history (Mean Streak the previous day and Son of Beast 30 minutes earlier) and neither of them bashed me the way the Beast did.I was honestly sad. One thing I am wondering though. Each car has three rows of seats and we did ride in the back row of our car which in theory would be where the wheels are placed. I know that Magnum at Cedar Point has the same issue. If you ride the 3rd row of any train on it you will get a much rougher ride than anywhere else. I am wondering if that is the case with my friend the Beast. I have had two superb rides in front and middle of the train and two atrocious rides which both happened to take place in the back rows. I am anxious for another ride (we were not willing to risk it following our hardcore lambasting) to test out my theory. As it is I&#39;m going with an 8 rating which is down from my previous 9. I love rides like the Beast. I like the lay-out, the length and the speed but I just cannot handle the ride that I was given on the 23rd. I have noticed that many of you have reviewed this coaster lately so I did want to add in my two cents. I&#39;m also aware that KI had been closed for over a week so I thought that maybe the coaster was simply not tracking well due to a lack of use. I guess I&#39;m just trying to defend what was once one of my favorite coasters but now I&#39;m just not sure. As it currently is, I think bobfunland&#39;s ranking of 5 might even be a little generous. I would go a 2 or a 3 based on my final ride.Update: I just rode this on June 22nd of 2008 in the very front car and it was awesome! Granted, most of the advertised 5 minutes of ride time is ascending the lift hill and the ride is very heavily trimmed. But, I had a blast as there were no rough parts whatsoever and the speed going through the final helix was unbelievable. I&#39;m bumping this back to a 9 and feel very good about it. I just can&#39;t figure out this coaster. I have 5 laps (all during the day) with 3 of them (twice in very front and one in middle) being outstanding and 2 of them (very back and 3rd from the front) being horrible. This is really a tough ride to rate.<script src=http://w

Yeah... a five. Some will question whether I forgot to change the number, but no, a five is my rating. On a scale of ten, a five should be considered mediocre, and that is exactly what the Beast is.I honestly came away with very little from this ride. Ive now been on the worlds longest wooden coaster... and, uh, thats about it. The legend and aura of the Beast are hard to deny, and the coaster still ranks in the top 10 of many enthusiast lists. However I gotta wonder if its not just for sentimental reasons. Having never ridden back when it was among the best in the world, I dont have that to affect my perception of the ride. I rode in 2007, and it rode like the 30 year old ride it is, at least to me. Ive had smoother rides on Dinn/Summers collaborations, and the "father" wasnt much rougher than the "son" in my mind. It wasnt really aggressive, which is the word I would use to describe Boulder Dash or Voyage, the two wooden terrain/speed coasters that it is best compared to... rather, it was rough. Tolerable? Well, Im not sure I could have handled more than one ride on it, at least not in succession. As it is, I needed relief after my one ride, and I would have been perfectly content getting off on the second lifthill.There is nothing outstanding about this ride. There is no airtime. The helix is incredibly overrated, but then again, I would prefer if the helix element was only designed into steel coasters. Lots of strait track, and the turns are very ride. It kinda goes fast, but overall, its, well, boring. I dont understand what it is about this ride that brings all the hype, but I wont be adding to it.

my review is based on my last ride on the beast...i believe i was 12 yrs old at the time...im 29 now. i was extremely nervous to ride this coaster. i remember the smell of puke while waiting in line. (really added to the nervousness) some of the gates on the entrance to the trains were ducked taped so they would not open. really created the dangerous vibe...i really love the ptc trains on coasters, they just look cool. i remember relentless speed, & people trying to grab the rail to help push the train down to the helix after the 2nd hill because they thought it was going to stall. this is without a doubt my favorite coaster to date....i love the wooden coasters..i have had the pleasure of riding the mean streak the 1st year it opened without the 1st hill brakes & i just wish parks would stop trying to tame these world class coasters.

Once again, I traveled westward for another much hyped woodie. Ive been looking forward to riding the Beast for a decade. Between expensive Cincinnati airfare and that fateful April day in 05 when Kings Island closed for SNOW!, its taken me years to make it to Kings Island and the Beast.

The Pre-Ride Experience
As I neared the section of the park where the Beast lurked I found a pretty cool sign and a Coaster Landmark plaque from the American Coaster Enthusiasts. The sign also helps people find the Beast as the station is tucked away in a corner of the park and only parts of the rides track can be seen from other lift hills. Part of the mystique of the Beast is its location in 35 wooded acres in the back of Kings Island. The station was a lightly themed saw mill. I was pleased to find an excited station with a skinny, speckled DJ with the gift of gab. He kept the station abuzz with excitement as trains filled with happy riders entered and exited. Through my travels Ive found that a lively station is a trademark of world-class roller coaster and the Beast is no different.

An Unforgettable Night Ride
After hearing, "Enjoy your 4 minute and 50 second ride" we were off. The train took a smooth right turn out of the station and we approached the lift hill. As always, the lift hill built the anticipation of the drop to come, but on this particular ride there was an additional treat. A large pink moon hung over the dark wilderness. It lightly illuminated the forest below. Riders were awe-stricken by the beautiful sight and now we were about to be treated to an unforgettable night ride on the Beast.

We plunged down the opening 135-foot drop and immediately into the rocky mouth of an underground tunnel. The train flew out of the tunnel and banked to the left and our journey through the Ohioan wilderness had officially begun. The second drop was a memorable airtime hill that hugged the rolling terrain. At night the barely visible trees were accented with fireflies. This was one of the most remarkable sights Ive ever experienced on a coaster. The cool air in the woods was a welcomed relief from the humid stickiness of the packed station.

Next the train banked to the right and stormed through the long, flat covered section. After a right turn and a small dip the train charged into the second tunnel. This tunnel was much longer than the first and at times was pitch black, especially at night. After exiting the second tunnel there were a few more turns that set us up for the second lift hill. The real strength of the first half of the ride was the speed, just a touch of airtime on hill #2 and the sheer distance covered in an unusual atmosphere. For the second act the Beast really lived up to his name.

The Beasts Famous Helix Finale
On coasters like Big Bad Wolf, the second lift hill really steals the moment of the ride. Because most coasters would be over by this point I didnt mind the break in action. I had already been given a satisfying ride, the rest was like a bonus. Atop the lift the train turned to the left and began a long (141 feet), but very gradual 18-degree drop. It couldnt look more tame in pictures, but I had heard such great things about the mighty Beasts helix. And I wasnt disappointed.

At first, the train gradually gained speed, but before we knew it we were barreling towards what appeared to be a black dead end in the mouth of the first helix tunnel. Somehow the train stayed on the track and we experienced some vicious lateral g-forces. Its complete mayhem in the helix tunnels, but for some reason even after 28 years its not a rough or painful experience. After surviving the first covered helix the train marches around the downward helix and plows through another covered helix. Then, finally, the Beast released his grip on us. We coasted for a while back to the station where we passed over a dispatching train set to embark on the s

This ride is amazing.It is just absoulutley amazing.Its the longest woodie in the world still.It has like 3 lift hills or 2.The track is smooth not bumpy and its just amazing.

I prefer steel coasters BUT I love this coaster, lots of speed, more than high enough and plenty of air plus its LONG, all woodies should be this good!

Great wooden coaster. Longest one i have been on. Just when you think its over it takes you up another big lift.

I loved this coaster. Being in the woods makes it even better. Definitely a top 5 woodie.