Volcano, The Blast Coaster

Volcano, The Blast Coaster
Kings Dominion
Park section	Safari Village
Coordinates	37°50′21.7″N 77°26′24.6″W / 37.839361°N 77.440167°WCoordinates: 37°50′21.7″N 77°26′24.6″W / 37.839361°N 77.440167°W
Status	Operating
Opening date	August 3, 1998
Cost	$20 million
Replaced	Smurf Mountain
General statistics
Type	Steel – Inverted – Launched
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Werner Stengel and Paramount Parks
Model	Suspended Catapult Coaster
Lift/launch system	LIM Launch
Height	155 ft (47 m)
Drop	80 ft (24 m)
Length	2,757 ft (840 m)
Speed	70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions	4
Duration	1:10
Max vertical angle	90°
Acceleration	0 to 70 mph
G-force	4
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	3 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 16 riders per train.
Fast Lane Plus only available
Volcano, The Blast Coaster at RCDB Pictures of Volcano, The Blast Coaster at RCDB

Volcano, The Blast Coaster, or simply Volcano, is a launched inverted roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Designed by both Paramount Parks and Werner Stengel and built by Intamin, Volcano was the world's first inverted roller coaster to feature an LIM (linear induction motor) and is the only one of its kind that completes a full circuit. Since its opening on August 3, 1998, Volcano has been one of the more popular rides in the park.^[1] Most of Volcano's circuit is located inside a man-made volcano, making it an enclosed roller coaster.

History

Volcano was designed around a dormant attraction originally known as The Lost World, and later as Smurf Mountain. Declining popularity towards the end of the 1980s led to the removal of the mountain's last two rides in 1995 and cast doubt on the area's future.^[2] On July 22, 1997, Paramount Parks announced plans to revitalize the mountain by making it the future site of a new roller coaster.^[3]

In late 1997, Volcano, The Blast Coaster, was announced. LIM technology was still somewhat new and the ride had many bugs in the launch system. This issue wasn't new to the park, having encountered similar problems with the nearby Flight of Fear. Volcano had a soft opening on August 3, 1998. The ride officially opened on August 15, 1998. During the 1998 season, the ride operated at half-capacity, with every other row loaded. In 1999, the bugs were fixed and Volcano was running at full capacity. In 2005 and 2010, Volcano's structure was given a fresh coat of paint. In 2014, Volcano's queue line was improved.

Ride experience

Volcano, The Blast Coaster in action.

Volcano's layout simulates the path of a volcanic eruption. Upon boarding one of three trains at the base of the mountain, riders make a slow turn left out of the station. The train then moves into its first of two launch tracks, which accelerates the train to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).^[4] After making a sweeping 200-degree turn behind the mountain, the train enters the second launch tunnel, followed by a vertical section ending in a "roll out" element. The "roll out", similar to a sidewinder, is a vertical section of track followed by a quarter loop to bring the train completely upside down, then a loose half-corkscrew. According to Roller Coaster DataBase, the roll out element is unique to Volcano.^[5] The highest point of the roll out is 155 feet (47 m) above ground level, making it the tallest inversion at Kings Dominion, taller than Dominator's 135-foot (41 m) vertical loop. After the roll-out, the train makes a sweeping turn around the mountain followed by a heartline roll in midair. The train makes another turnaround and passes through a second heartline roll, which is embedded into the side of the mountain. After another turnaround and a third heartline roll, the train makes a turning 80-foot (24 m) drop into the final brake run.^[2]

Incidents

On June 23, 2006, the roller coaster experienced a launch failure when a train carrying 15 passengers stalled and rolled back slightly. Some were stranded for more than two hours. One rider reported hearing a loud pop and getting hit in the chin with flying debris.^[6][7]

Records

Volcano, The Blast Coaster once held the record of the tallest inversion in the world at 155 feet (47 m). In May 2013, GateKeeper at Cedar Point took the record with an inversion that stands at 170 feet (52 m).^[8]

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Ranking	25[9]	28[10]	28[11]	23[12]	23[13]	25[14]	28[15]	33[16]	41[17]	35[18]	29 (tie)[19]	40[20]	39[21]	49 (tie)[22]

References

1. http://www.kingsdominion.com/rides/Thrill-Rides/Volcano-The-Blast-Coaster
2. "Volcano: the Blast Coaster, Kings Dominion". COASTER-net.com. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
3. "Paramount's Kings Dominion to introduce its tenth roller coaster in 1998". Paramount's Kings Dominion. July 22, 1997. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
4. Kraft, Randy (August 30, 1998). "Kings Dominion's New `Volcano' Coaster Is A Real Blast". The Morning Call. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
5. Roller Coaster Search Results
6. "Launch failure on Kings Dominion's Volcano strands 15, hurts 2". June 24, 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
7. "Two injured on Volcano Ride". The Free Lance Star. 2006-06-24. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
8. "GateKeeper is breaking more records". Retrieved August 21, 2012.
9. "Top 25 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
10. "Top 25 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
11. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
12. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
13. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
14. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
15. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
16. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
17. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
18. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
19. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
20. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
21. "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
22. "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2013.

External links

• Volcano's Official Page
• Newspaper article about June 23 accident
• News report on the reopening of Volcano