Middle-schoolers rate the best rides at Alaska State Fair

Everyone has a favorite part of the Alaska State Fair. But if you’re in middle school or younger, chances are your favorite part are the Golden Wheel Amusement rides.

Although the Frontiersman staff is completely void of middle-school students, Gabe Fish, son of reporter Andrew Wellner, stepped up to help us rank the best, most stomach-churning rides at the fair. And he brought along a pair of thrill-seeking young friends — Haley Hight and Kalvin Maher — to help.

No. 1 came easy for the three. They all agreed it was the best ride, but there were some close calls down the list. All three kids described every ride on the list as “awesome.”

Some rides — Astro Liner, Wacky Worm, we’re looking at you — didn’t make the list, but only just barely.

Oh, and fans of the Squirrel Cages take heart — that one likely would have ranked high but for Gabe and his friends’ refusal to wait in its perpetually long line.

No. 6 The Sizzler

Cars that fit two or three people rotate around a central hub and around outer hubs. It’s all horizontal motion and a whole lot of centrifugal force. Cost: Four tickets. Kalvin said he would have liked this one better if he had not been smashed between Gabe and Haley. Gabe: “It was fun because it goes really fast and spins and my friends squished me.”

No 5. Cliff Hanger

Riders lay on their bellies for this one and ride in groups of three. The ride rotates and tilts for lots of high-flying swooping fun. Cost: Four tickets. This was the third ride the kids went on and it followed up some pretty big Midway draws, but didn’t disappoint. Kalvin: “I liked that it went really super high.”

No. 4 Super Round Up

If the Sizzler had a lot of centrifugal force, this one has a metric ton of it. The ride doesn’t even have safety bars, designed instead to pin riders to the wall and more-or-less immobilize them as it slowly tips on its side. Cost: Four tickets. Gabe: “I like that it spins around really fast and then it goes down and then up. It’s awesome. It’s a lot of fun.”

No. 3 1001 Nachtz

A giant platform stays level as the arm it is attached to swings high into the air and then back down again. It moves super fast and has been a crowd-pleasing favorite for several years. Cost: Five tickets. Gabe: “I like the 1001 Nachts because it goes up really high and then it comes back down fast.”

No. 2 Flying Bobs

This one doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the bobsleds get moving fast and make some pretty thrilling swoops and turns. The cars rotate around a central hub. The whole thing is enclosed in railing, festooned with pictures from old Bavaria and covered with a carousel-like roof. Cost: Five tickets. Haley: “I liked that it went forward and then it went back.”

No. 1 Apollo

This ride is new enough Gabe was at the fair during its first year on the Midway. A pair of cars with riders facing backward are attached to a gigantic arm that sends them swinging into the air with riders at certain points upside down. Cost: Six tickets. Gabe: “It’s just as good as 1001 Nachts but you also go upside down.”