Wikipedia

Boulder Dash (roller coaster)

Boulder Dash is a wooden roller coaster located at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. The coaster was built by Custom Coasters International using Southern Yellow Pine wood, while the track is made of Douglas Fir. Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards ranked Boulder Dash as the world's best wooden roller coaster in 2004 and from 2013 to 2016. The trains were built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC).[1]

Boulder Dash
Lake Compounce
LocationLake Compounce
Coordinates41°38′21″N 72°55′28″W / 41.639187°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

History

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Construction for the coaster began in June 1999 and was completed in May 2000.[2] The ride cost $6 million and was built into the side of a mountain at Lake Compounce.[3][4] In the four years prior to the ride's opening, Lake Compounce's owners had spent $40 million on improving the park. The opening of Boulder Dash helped increase attendance at Lake Compounce, which had suffered from declining attendance in prior years.[3]

During the 2007 off-season, about 80 percent of the ride was retracked, and some of the supports replaced, as part of a $3 million renovation. In addition, the end of the ride, which had an intentionally uneven track, was rebuilt.[5] Lake Compounce bought PTC trains from Hersheypark's Wildcat for the 2008 season. For the 2017 season, Boulder Dash was retracked by Martin & Vleminckx to help smooth out rough patches and replace rotting wood.[6] The retracking also removed the triple-up hill located near the end of the ride, replacing it with a double-up hill.[7] For the 2023 season, 580 feet of the track were retracked with Titan Track by Great Coasters International and Skyline Attractions.[8][9] For the 2024 season, an additional 280 feet of track was replaced.[10]

Characteristics

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The 4,672-foot (1,424 m) wooden roller coaster uses Lake Compounce's natural mountainous terrain, complete with trees and boulders within close proximity of the track.[11] It is the longest wooden coaster on the East coast.[12]

The lift hill climbs the mountainside and disappears from view. When it reappears, it has completed its first drop of 115 feet[4][11] 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.[11] 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.

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

2001 incident

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Boulder Dash accident
DateJune 13, 2001
Deaths1
Non-fatal injuries0

On June 13, 2001, a 23-year-old worker was killed after being struck by one of the coaster's trains.[12][13] Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials subsequently visited Lake Compounce and found several safety violations, fining the park $29,000. In November 2001, this fine was halved as part of a settlement between the park and OSHA.[14][15] The worker's family sued Lake Compounce in 2002 over the accident.[16]

Awards and rankings

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Boulder Dash was voted the world's top wooden roller coaster in 2001 by the National Amusement Park Historical Association.[3][4] In addition, from 2001 to 2023, the ride was one of the top five wooden roller coasters as ranked by Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards. The 2004 Golden Ticket Awards was the first in which Boulder Dash was the top-ranked wooden coaster.[5][17]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Ranking 12[18] 3[19] 3[20] 3[21] 1[17] 2[22] 3[23] 4[24] 5[25] 2[26] 4[27] 4[28] 5[29] 1[30] 1[31] 1[32] 1[33] 3[34] 4[35] 4[36] 4[37] 4[38] 5[39] 7[40]
NAPHA Survey: Favorite Wood Roller Coaster[41]
Year 2005
Ranking
2 (tie)[a]

Notes

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  1. ^ Tied with The Beast

References

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  1. ^ "Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce (Bristol, Connecticut, USA)". www.rcdb.com.
  2. ^ "Boulder Dash Coaster Mountain Statistics & Construction Info". Compounce Lake.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2000. Retrieved April 29, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ a b c Gustafson, Ron (July 28, 2002). "Rolling along...again". The Journal Times. p. 51. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "The World-class Boulder Dash". Hartford Courant. April 19, 2001. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Murphy, Mekado (August 19, 2010). "Screaming Through the Trees". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  6. ^ MacDonald, Brady (July 10, 2017). "Does this little amusement park really have the best wooden coaster in the world?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "Great Coasters International". www.greatcoasters.com. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  8. ^ "Lake Compounce What's New for 2023". www.lakecompounce.com/. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "Boulder Dash Titan Track". Skyline Attractions. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  10. ^ "Skyline Attractions". Skyline Attractions. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Boulder Dash". Compounce Lake.com. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  12. ^ a b "Attendant struck, killed at Lake Compounce". The Middletown Press. June 14, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  13. ^ Brown, Matthew Hay; Struzzi, Diane; Waldman, Loretta (June 14, 2001). "Co-Worker: He Had No Warning". Hartford Courant. pp. 111, 122. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  14. ^ Makwana, Rachel R. (January 4, 2002). "Park not responding to OSHA's findings". Record-Journal. p. 11. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  15. ^ Moy, Kimberly W. (December 22, 2001). "Theme Park, OSHA Reach Deal". Hartford Courant. p. 95. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  16. ^ Albin, Stacy (July 10, 2002). "Metro Briefing | Connecticut: Waterbury: Amusement Park Sued". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "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.
  18. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  19. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  20. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "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.
  25. ^ "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.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "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.
  29. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  30. ^ "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.
  31. ^ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  32. ^ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  33. ^ "2016 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  34. ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  35. ^ "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  36. ^ "2019 Top 50 Wood Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  37. ^ "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  38. ^ "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  39. ^ "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 71–72. September 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  40. ^ "2024 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2024. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  41. ^ "Member Survey". napha.org.
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