Personally, as long as the layout and scenery remains I can’t complain about the switch to titan track. As much as i’m excited to reride smoother versions of Boulder Dash and Wildcat, I am also looking forward to whatever coasters get added next to the park. Even though it may take decades, this park could have a really good lineup…depending on how much land there is.
I was at Silver Dollar City last weekend, and I lost count of how many times I overheard people referring to Thunderation as a wooden coaster, so you're right that no matter what, many people will always see Boulder Dash as a woodie. But I would see it as a hybrid if they end up replacing most or all the track. I don't like fast pass systems, with how they slow down the regular lines. Those are frustrating for regular visitors. But it would give me an option to be able to get several Boulder Dash rides on a future visit, instead of having to settle for only 2 rides like last time.
Boulder Dash really made me appreciate the aggressiveness a wooden coaster can have, but I just want a good all around ride whether it be wood or steel.
If you're correct about the ride slowly getting more Titan track over the years, I've gotta get on this thing fast! I'm only three hours south, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Possibly for the ACE event in July
I have such mixed emotions about all this. Boulder Dash is potentially one of the best coasters in the world, let alone New England, but the increasing roughness of it was becoming a real problem. The last time I was there, I realized I'd enjoyed riding Phobia Phear Coaster more than I did Boulder Dash, and that's not right. But is Titan Track the *best* answer? Making Boulder Dash, effectively, not a woodie? It seems unfortunate, all around. I kind of wish they'd given Gravity Group's new prefab wood retrack a try. But if this makes Boulder Dash less of a boneshaker, it's probably for the best. On my last visit, Phobia was such a walk-on that it's hard for me to imagine Speedy Pass even mattering there--it seemed like too many people were afraid even to ride that coaster, true to its name. But Boulder Dash always has a long-ish line.
A woman I know rode Boulder Dash without issue in the early 2000s. Two years ago, now in her 30s, she rode it and actually ended up with a mild concussion - classic symptoms of sustained headache, stomach queasiness - later diagnosed by her doctor. Part of this was her body/anatomy/brain, being older. But she also said the ride seemed a lot rougher.
@@CanobieCoaster It can still be an awesome ride with wood track. I don't believe they're going to replace all of the wood track. There just going to replace the high stress areas.
I personally love how the ride is running faster with the titan track. The airtime is noticeably better, and I'm wondering if this will mean the ride will run faster this year. I honestly found the bottom of the first drop very rough last year, so the titan track was a welcome addition. My only concern is that it running faster will accelerate the rough sections of the ride, like the second valley and the turnaround, but if they keep adding Titan Track on those over the years I'll be a very happy local.
I lived in CT for years and visited Compounce and rode Boulder Dash many times. I'd be okay with switching to Titan track, as long as the ride looks the same. I'm not much of a fan of any kind of fast pass, and this goes for every park. I do however hope they remove the minimum amount of trees possible. Boulder Dash is arguably the most beautiful ride in the world, and it being built into the hillside surrounded by so many oak and maple trees is what makes it so. I only rode Wildcat once, and remember it being rougher than Boulder Dash (which itself is kind of rough, as most woodies are), so anything they can do to improve it's track would be a good idea.
The one time I visited Lake Compounce was in 2013 for a school trip, and I remember two trains running on Boulder Dash. It was somewhat rough, but an awesome ride. The GP usually considers RMC conversions to be wooden coasters, so I think they'd consider Boulder Dash to be a wooden coaster no matter how much titan track is added. Regarding speedy pass and any skip the line pass for that matter, whether I purchased it or not, I hate the idea of anyone being able to take someone's seat directly. For ADA and exit pass guests, the park should only allow them to ride every other cycle, alternate which rows they are assigned, and never put them in the front.
My partner is disabled and is an exit pass guest because she cant stand for long periods of time or walk very far. She loves coaster but has to sit in the front to avoid extreme nausea. So what about that, I know it's a very rare for that to be the case but how would they accommodate that request.
With the exit pass, they typically alternate every other train with standby if they want the front. I think people using the exit pass should have an opportunity to get the best seat. I know I'd want it if it were my only way to experience the ride
@@CanobieCoaster Agree. I'm 100% with you on allowing anyone disabled (and able to ride) to have the best seat for them. If I'm in line I'm more than okay waiting a few minutes for this. God forbid I'm ever in that same situation. I do not consider exit pass and ADA rules to be anything near the same as speedy pass/fast pass, which I am generally against, at any park.
Got on Boulder Dash for the first time this year despite being an MA resident. I was perfectly okay with the sections that were Titan-tracked, and love the roar from the station. Could maybe use a bit more in that valley before the turnaround, but I am hoping not for a full Titan Track job. That finale is supposed to hurt a little. This was also a pretty busy day, and I saw next to nobody using the Speedy Pass.
I wish they would hire a specialist to check on the integrity of those trees before they cut them down. Those trees are part of what makes BD so special!
that's different from how Speedy Pass Works at Kennywood at Kennywood they just let you pick what ever row you want but there is no cones or anything it mainly works by letting you in around the same point as everyone else for most coasters and rides! I find it odd that Lake Compounce is making this decisions, for if you look at there sister park Kennywood you see even older wooden coasters mainteded the best of most if not all other parks in the world for wooden maintenance so why is there such a discrepancy between the 2 parks and wooden coaster maintenance
I like the set-up better at Kennywood. I think it would make sense for Lake Compounce to put the merge point before the station, but unfortunately a lot of their rides don't have a good set up for that.
I was there September 27th and rode the wildcat and it was so rough and bumpy. It was very uncomfortable and you will be in pain afterwards. I fear that someone is gonna really get hurt on that ride.
@@CanobieCoasterthat ride was not smooth in the slightest. A few of the kids in front of us were complaining to the kids in back of us. It's very dangerous. My gf was in a lot of pain afterwards.
And for the Speedy Pass I don't think it's going to work out because I remember a few years ago they did a similar system where you send a text to skip the line but it only lasted for one year because the service didn't get enough demand. I don't think that service is necessary at Lake Compounce because they don't really get crazy long lines (like Six Flags, Universal, or Disney levels) so I think it's a waste of money for both the park and consumers. What do you think?
When I was in New England, Lake Compounce's lines were all over an hour, and it wasn't a weekend. It was Wednesday. On the same day, Six Flags had everything as a walk-on. I've heard others say that this park quite often draws massive crowds with very long lines.
I’m personally not a fan of titan track on this ride. What I really liked about Boulder is the shaking and jittering which makes the ride feel more intense. It’s a good type of roughness that I’m gonna miss especially the pullout after the drop.
hahaha its me im the one who said secreligious! and I still stand by it, for me the best way to explain it is just eating a holiday treat while not on a holiday, it feels wrong but over all im not really gonna complain, as long as its fun
I am always thinking of ways to enhance that fun so the experience becomes physically mentally financially spiritually beneficial and rewarding. Example the roller coasters should include some kind of test to see how well a person may keep their composure under high intensity excitement. Like being able to write your name and address before the ride ends. I think would be a fun way to test one's eye hand coordination similar to astronauts and jet fighters. Equally as true all roller coasters today should automatically have an electronic system that is constantly scanning the track for weakness fractures rust and corrosion. And with today's technologies should be no problem to upgrade any and all other roller coasters which will maximize on safety so people may have extreme fun on every ride
I've never ridden this coaster but it's too special a wooden coaster to change, unless only a small rough part of it changes. Outside of that they'd better find other ways to improve parts of this coaster without replacing wooden track with metal or the'll be no wooden coasters left. That's just my opinion; I could be wrong. Thanks for posting!
Honestly, I'd be happy to see more steel on Boulder Dash. To me it's an amazing ride, but only in the front row due to the bumpiness in the other rows. It would be nice to be able to settle for other rows in order to get on quicker, but on Boulder Dash it makes such a night and day difference I just suck it up and wait the extra couple cycles.
Titan track is steel track manufactured by Great Coasters International (GCI) They use it to retrack parts of wooden roller coasters that are rough. They keep the same profiling as the old track did.
I'm betting they will do a lot more come the off season. Right now the manufacturer is working on track for the other coaster but later in the year will be able to produce a bunch more for Boulderdash.
@@CanobieCoaster tbh the guys who retracked it clearly arent very good. Look at Knotts and GhostRider. GCI came in and made it one of the parks best rides if not the best. Make WildCat nice and smooth with some short millennium fliers and it becomes a great little ride
Ever since Kennywood is owned by the same company... I'm worried if their wooden coasters would get the Titan Track treatment. I would rather get a Titan Track coaster from the ground up.
I really hope speedy pass users don't get to choose their row like how the cone system is used. I would like it if they were sent into the back half to choose any row back there. The one time I waited for the front last year, I got coned off 3 times in a row which was super frustrating.
I’ve never agreed with a “speedy pass” you have to pay for…to me it reads, if you have more money, your time is more valuable…everyone should have to wait their turn….unless we’re talking Disney with the fast pass, that’s a different story….cedar point wants upwards of $600 for the day to skip the lines.
This is just so depressing as a fan of wooden coasters. I rode Boulder Dash for the first time last summer and it instantly became one of my very favorites. But I realize I’m in the minority here and, like you said in the video, rider comfort is being prioritized over historic value. For Wildcat, I could even get on board, as it is truly one of the worst coaster experiences on earth. But this was totally unnecessary for Boulder Dash and it’s going to be tough for me to justify buying a ticket knowing they neutered their best ride.
Tree removal nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! Hopefully they just replace dead trees with health ones. Honestly, Wildcat track is giving "warped in the dishwasher" and something drastic is definitely needed.
I would be very disappointed if Wildcat were to become a steel coaster. IMO, the roughness is because of the new rolling stock (GCI's Millennium Flyers). They're hugging the track too tightly. The wheels, especially the upstops, need to have a little more slop in them. That would go a long way toward making the ride more comfortable. It's getting ridiculous: the Texas Giant, Six Flags New England's Cyclone, Hersheypark's Wildcat ... more and more great wood coasters are being turned into steel rides because the parks seem unable (or unwilling) to keep wood coasters in good repair. They should take a class from Knoebels.
I just want a good ride in the end. What they've been doing with Wildcat has not worked. I'd prefer if they did it with wood, but I get why the park is likely doing Titan Track.
@@CanobieCoaster They could just tear it down and put up a steel coaster. I'm sure it would run pretty smooth. At what point does it cease to be the same ride?
This pisses me off. Now good wood coasters are going to become medicore steel coasters. Parks will just understand its cheaper to make wood coasters all steel. Rmc has killed the wooden coaster. We will only see a few more new wood coasters and i guarantee all of them will have steel in certain parts. I dont think we will ever get another 100% wood coaster. Its sad.