Boulder Dash (roller coaster)

Boulder Dash is a wooden roller coaster located at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. Construction for the coaster began in June 1999 and was completed in May 2000.[1] The coaster was built by Custom Coasters International using Southern Yellow Pine wood; while the track is made of Douglas Fir. This ride was ranked the #1 Wooden Roller Coaster in the World by the Golden Ticket Awards in 2004 and from 2013 to 2016, until slipping into third place in 2017. The trains were built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters.[2]

Boulder Dash
Lake Compounce
LocationLake Compounce
Coordinates41.639187°N 72.924540°W / 41.639187; -72.924540
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 21, 2000 (2000-05-21)
CostUS$6,000,000
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerCustom Coasters International
DesignerDennis McNulty
Larry Bill
Track layoutTerrain
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height110 ft (34 m)
Drop115 ft (35 m)
Length4,725 ft (1,440 m)
Speed60 mph (97 km/h)
Duration2:30
Max vertical angle59°
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Boulder Dash at RCDB
Pictures of Boulder Dash at RCDB

Statistics and additional information

This 4,672 foot wooden roller coaster uses the Lake Compounce's natural mountainous terrain, complete with trees and boulders within close proximity of the track.[3] The lift climbs the mountainside and then disappears from view. When it reappears, it has completed its first drop of 115 feet[3] and is traveling sixty miles per hour as it crosses over itself and flies over the station. Much of the first half of the ride is hidden as the train climbs and drops along the mountainside.[3] On the last drop, on-ride photos are taken and can be viewed and bought at the photo booth at the end of the exit line. Most of the ride was retracked during the 2007 off season and during the 2008 off season the remainder was retracked. Lake Compounce bought PTC trains from Hersheypark's Wildcat for the 2008 season. For the 2017 Season, Boulder Dash received a retracking by Martin and Vleminckx to help smooth out rough patches and replace rotting wood.[4] The retracking also removed the triple-up hill located near the end of the ride, replacing it with a double-up hill.[5]

Its layout was inspired by the Rollo Coaster, a small wooden coaster at Idlewild Park (both parks are owned by the same company, Parques Reunidos).

Awards and rankings

Boulder Dash was voted the world's number one wooden roller coaster in 2001 and 2004 by the National Amusement Park Historical Association, and it took the top spot in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for Best Wood Coaster five times since 2004.[6] It has been a top 5 wooden roller coaster since 2001. It is the longest wooden coaster on the East Coast.[7]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year20002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Ranking 12[8]3[9]3[10]3[11]1[6]2[12]3[13]4[14]5[15]2[16]4[17]4[18]5[19]1[20]1[21]1[22]1[23]3[24]4[25]4[26]
NAPHA Survey: Favorite Wood Roller Coaster[27]
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ranking
2 (tie)[28]
-
-
-
-

References
  1. "Boulder Dash Coaster Mountain Statistics & Construction Info". Compounce Lake.com. Archived from the original on 2000-06-18. Retrieved 2017-04-29.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. "Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce (Bristol, Connecticut, USA)". www.rcdb.com.
  3. "Boulder Dash". Compounce Lake.com. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  4. "Boulder Dash Retrack". Retrieved 2016-11-18.
  5. "Great Coasters International". www.greatcoasters.com. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  6. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  7. "Attendant struck, killed at Lake Compounce". The Middletown Press. 14 June 2001. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  9. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  10. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  11. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  12. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  13. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  14. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  15. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  16. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  17. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  18. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  19. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  20. "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  21. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  22. "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  23. "2016 top 50 wooden roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  24. "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  25. "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  26. "2019 Top Wood". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  27. "Member Survey". napha.org.
  28. Tied with The Beast
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