Six Flags Magic Mountain roller coasters

Something everyone should do in their life at least once is ride a roller coaster, and it's surprising how many people have not. Whether it's a fear of heights, velocity, or injury, conquering that fear to strap up and be carried away to abnormal heights is the greatest victory in civilian thrills. Although they may seem intimidating at first, roller coasters offer human flight—something unobtainable through any other medium (save entering the world of extreme sports).

Six Flags Magic Mountain, close to my hometown of Los Angeles, has long been the park of choice for me because of its variety and diversity of coasters. The latest attraction, X², is a different take on the previous incarnation of X, which was billed the world's first Fourth Dimentional roller coaster. Even past the hype of this particular, existing coasters such as Tatsu, the tallest and fastest flying coaster in the world, and Scream!, a floorless twister, offer unprecedented thrills in the routine theme park experience.