Attraction Boulder Dash
- Thread starter Zimmy
- Start date
Zimmy said:
I'm guessing since the ride has won many Golden Ticket Awards, the writer is giving the park more exposure as they will be hosting the event this September.
Speaking of the writer, Brady MacDonald, he strictly covers the entire amusement industry for the LA Times.
Last October he even mentioned InvadR in an article as one of the top attractions for 2017.
http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-tr-top-17-2017-united-states-20161018-snap-story.html
Brady MacDonald is great. We've spoken briefly before and he has mentioned BGWFans and shared our stories a few times over the years. He's a great voice of reason in a sea of sensationalist, misinformed media coverage of the industry.
I rode Boulder Dash in a wheel seat in the front row back in 2016. All I remember about the ride is how close to the mountain we got on the turns, and getting jackhammered during every single airtime moment.
Boulder Dash really is a "moody" ride. So, so good when running at its best. Particularly touchy, it seems, when faced with the same challenges that all other wood coasters face (and often do a better job of tolerating, for whatever reason).
I don't keep any coaster rankings, but I tend to regard BD a little bit less reverently than those who share theirs. Still, I love riding it whenever I can... great ride.
I don't keep any coaster rankings, but I tend to regard BD a little bit less reverently than those who share theirs. Still, I love riding it whenever I can... great ride.
Crap was hoping to get this thing at the end of August. Appears to be listed as closed on the park website. If that remains the case I imagine I’ll be getting many laps on Wicked Cyclone
A massive wooden coaster on a mountain……..
Literally.
When that description is given and given what I’ve experienced with roller coasters over the years I generally had a good idea what to expect. Even then there’s nothing like zooming across the higher up leg of this……thing and then zooming along the lake going back. It’s an experience and if you haven’t done it yet, we’ll I’d look into going to CT to see for yourself.
I mean you begin with a lift hill up the mountain going away from the direction of the coaster. You ascend that lift looking up at tree branches looming over you. Then you reach the top and as of 2023, the track switches to Titan, and you’re about to be basically slung up onto the mountain by the extremely smooth drop into a sh*t load of jackhammering, the transition is abrupt I admit but it wasn’t enough to take away from this ride for me. You are shot up into the mountain for what seemingly feels like an infinite journey into the wilderness with a lake down below. Double ups double downs everywhere along the top of this mountain, and it feels like it just continues for miles. You see actual boulders in the side of the mountain and at night it’s pitch black up there. It’s unreal you really see where the ride gets it’s name for sure.
Then you reach the turn around that very much like the first drop launches you into the return leg which is just as wild as the sequence on the mountain. You’re just next to a beautiful lake now in the mountains. That turn around is INTENSE the laterals are very strong, me and my buddy I met with the trip would always at the top of this turnaround, put our hands down and hold the f*ck on. That turnaround is no joke. The return sequence is extremely fast paced with some powerful airtime moments. Again double ups double downs for days and it keeps on going until you finally get back to the brakes from your journey. Amazed and probably a little sore from that absolutely insane roller coaster you just rode. A literal wood coaster on a mountain.
Now for audit comments……..
Maintaining this thing, I’m sure, has to be absolutely BRUTAL on the park. The upper section is in an incredibly difficult to access area seemingly making me wonder what it’s like for the guys in charge of maintaining this thing. As a result, some of the valleys could get pretty damn violent. In the front the jackhammering in some of the valleys didn’t bother me at all but it was noticeable. My friend talked me into the back, and um yeah there were a lot of expletives. So many like holy crap it’s bad back there. I almost want to try it at night out of what I assume is masochism.
It was also 1 train ops which I figure may be done for the purpose of preserving the ride(and to sell speedy passes which they were successful with me on). But yeah that is a LONG cycle on one train.
If Boulder Dash had a solid Gravity Group retrack like Grizzly or something similar or if it ran like Voyage, it could make an argument to be my #1 roller coaster because I just love the sheer concept of the ride and it’s a wild wild time. One of the greatest coaster experiences of my life each lap. It landed at 10 in my top 10 overall despite the roughness and despite the numerous much smoother coasters I’ve done. Just wrapping my head around what Boulder Dash “is” is still rather mind boggling honestly. The only wooden coasters I prefer are Lightning Rod* and Voyage with El Toro just below Boulder. I know that’s probably insane to some people and I get it but, El Toro is on a flat piece of land and those other 3 above it are not, just shows the value of a great terrain coaster for me anyway.
Thanks for reading, Boulder Dash presents fairly in all material aspects and is free of material misstatement.
Literally.
When that description is given and given what I’ve experienced with roller coasters over the years I generally had a good idea what to expect. Even then there’s nothing like zooming across the higher up leg of this……thing and then zooming along the lake going back. It’s an experience and if you haven’t done it yet, we’ll I’d look into going to CT to see for yourself.
I mean you begin with a lift hill up the mountain going away from the direction of the coaster. You ascend that lift looking up at tree branches looming over you. Then you reach the top and as of 2023, the track switches to Titan, and you’re about to be basically slung up onto the mountain by the extremely smooth drop into a sh*t load of jackhammering, the transition is abrupt I admit but it wasn’t enough to take away from this ride for me. You are shot up into the mountain for what seemingly feels like an infinite journey into the wilderness with a lake down below. Double ups double downs everywhere along the top of this mountain, and it feels like it just continues for miles. You see actual boulders in the side of the mountain and at night it’s pitch black up there. It’s unreal you really see where the ride gets it’s name for sure.
Then you reach the turn around that very much like the first drop launches you into the return leg which is just as wild as the sequence on the mountain. You’re just next to a beautiful lake now in the mountains. That turn around is INTENSE the laterals are very strong, me and my buddy I met with the trip would always at the top of this turnaround, put our hands down and hold the f*ck on. That turnaround is no joke. The return sequence is extremely fast paced with some powerful airtime moments. Again double ups double downs for days and it keeps on going until you finally get back to the brakes from your journey. Amazed and probably a little sore from that absolutely insane roller coaster you just rode. A literal wood coaster on a mountain.
Now for audit comments……..
Maintaining this thing, I’m sure, has to be absolutely BRUTAL on the park. The upper section is in an incredibly difficult to access area seemingly making me wonder what it’s like for the guys in charge of maintaining this thing. As a result, some of the valleys could get pretty damn violent. In the front the jackhammering in some of the valleys didn’t bother me at all but it was noticeable. My friend talked me into the back, and um yeah there were a lot of expletives. So many like holy crap it’s bad back there. I almost want to try it at night out of what I assume is masochism.
It was also 1 train ops which I figure may be done for the purpose of preserving the ride(and to sell speedy passes which they were successful with me on). But yeah that is a LONG cycle on one train.
If Boulder Dash had a solid Gravity Group retrack like Grizzly or something similar or if it ran like Voyage, it could make an argument to be my #1 roller coaster because I just love the sheer concept of the ride and it’s a wild wild time. One of the greatest coaster experiences of my life each lap. It landed at 10 in my top 10 overall despite the roughness and despite the numerous much smoother coasters I’ve done. Just wrapping my head around what Boulder Dash “is” is still rather mind boggling honestly. The only wooden coasters I prefer are Lightning Rod* and Voyage with El Toro just below Boulder. I know that’s probably insane to some people and I get it but, El Toro is on a flat piece of land and those other 3 above it are not, just shows the value of a great terrain coaster for me anyway.
Thanks for reading, Boulder Dash presents fairly in all material aspects and is free of material misstatement.
It's a bucket list coaster for me. I hope to get to it before too much longer. Maybe next year?