Canobie Coaster

Goudurix

Lake Compounce Lake Compounce is a park for which I feel obliged to buy a season pass. There are four reasons for this. 1) Boulder Dash 2) Proximity 3) Season passes are a decent value 4) Single day tickets are so laughably overpriced. As we approached the main entrance, I laid eyes on the new-for-2019 addition, metal detectors. Honestly, I’m not surprised by this since they were the largest park in the region without them. I'm really interested to see what happens at the Haunted Graveyard since they usually fill this tunnel with fog. I doubt they'd do that now with metal detectors there. We only gave ourselves a half day at the park, which we figured was plenty of time to hit the water rides, Phobia, and Boulder Dash. Lake Compounce helped us out since the water rides and Phobia were closed for the day. Usually the water rides are open in May, but it wasn’t too surprising considering the chilly weather. Phobia’s closure was a shock. The train wasn’t even on the track, so I’m not sure if it has even operated yet this year. Silver lining, at least it wasn't Boulder Dash. Well onto Boulder Dash then. In total, we got 9 rides, 7 of which were in the front row. This is the de facto seat to experience Boulder Dash. Not only is it by far the smoothest row, but the airtime is the strongest and the rush of wind is pure bliss. Going into my visit, I knew Boulder Dash wouldn’t be at full force. It never is this early in the season. The ride hits its stride in summer and kicks it into overdrive for the Haunted Graveyard. But I have to say- this is the fastest I’ve seen it run this early in the year. My gauge is the boulder hill and that hill was delivering sustained floater air. The rest of the outward leg is a blitzkrieg of powerful laterals, pops of ejector air, and mild floater air. And this is all while carving through a wooded mountainside. But the highlight is the return leg. It’s 8-9 consecutive hills taken at a furious clip; each delivering great floater air. With how well it was running in May, I can’t wait to see how fast it’s running later this year. 10 out of 10 Boulder Dash was running way better than usual this early in the season. I remember thinking it was weird that Galaxyland’s Space Shot had seatbelts. I came to find out SFNE added seatbelts to their S&S drop tower and low and behold, Down Time had seatbelts too. Is this a new thing from S&S? The seatbelts were exceptionally awkward to buckle due to the minimal clearance with the armrests, but they do not impact the ride experience one bit. Down Time is one of the strongest S&S towers- it has great views, a strong drop, and some sound effects. 8 out of 10 SFNE's Goliath should take this name. It still feels weird to me that a park as small as Lake Compounce has a full-size screamin’ swing, but I don’t question it. I got a rare ride with a looser-than-usual lap bar, so the airtime was great. The cycle was not, but that’s the norm for all screamin’ swings. 7 out of 10 I love the fake operator/weatherman. Lake Compounce isn’t a park known for capacity. The coasters all run one train. I think Boulder Dash is the only one that *can* run two trains, but seeing it run two trains is rarer than it is for a park to have a transfer track collision. Even the non-coaster rides have pitiful capacities. Take the flume, dark ride, and car ride for example. I think they usually run just 3-4 cars each. But we decided to ride the Giant wheel. Lake Compounce couldn’t possibly neuter the capacity of a Ferris wheel, could they? We ended up waiting a half hour. There were just 8 groups ahead of us, but they decided to only use 4 of the possible 20 gondolas. At least the ride offered some nice aerial views of Boulder Dash. 6 out of 10 It also would have given some neat action shots of Phobia, but you know... My season pass included a one-time $20 meal voucher, so we ordered a feast from Pink’s. While I wouldn’t prioritize the famous hot dog stand on a trip to LA, it’s great for theme park food. I strongly recommend the steak and cheese hot dog. We concluded the day with additional rerides on Boulder Dash. After our front row ride on what we thought was the second-to-last train of the day, the park allowed us to reride in an empty row 5. The airtime was still strong, but it was a bit bumpier than the front. When we returned to the station, there were three stragglers. Sweet were we going to get an extra ride? Yes! There was just one oddity. You think it someone had an entire station to themselves, they’d probably pick the front. Nope, they wanted rows 5 and 6. Fortunately there was one row remaining, row 10. For those keeping score at home, yes that was a wheel seat. I guess we’ll see how it’s running. The laterals were even stronger towards the back of the train, particularly on the first drop. There was some bad jackhammering on the first and far turns. It felt like my Volkswagen when it blew out a tire on the highway. Otherwise, I thought it tracked just fine. Admittedly, I have a higher tolerance for rough rides than most. My girlfriend did not share the same sentiments if you want a second opinion. This is one of the best coaster settings anywhere. If you’re visiting from a distance, prioritize a visit when the park has a late close. Boulder Dash at night is a life-changing experience. Your best bet for this is the Haunted Graveyard (especially since their haunt is exceptional), but they also have some late closes on summer Saturdays.

I had no clue there was a Metropolis, Illinois. Thanks for sharing!

Would I like to see a great ride never end? Yes. Who wouldn't? But I just care that the ride is great. I've been on short rides that are awesome and long rides that are duds.

^ I've seen a lot of parks turn off the waterfalls in cooler months. I really wish river rapids rides were in water parks.

I need to get on that water slide in case it ever closes. That thing looks bonkers.

^ Thanks for the heads up. I usually do Millennium for early entry and it looks like that one opened with the park. At least Maverick is next to Steel Vengeance for everyone who runs there.

^ Thanks! I guess I'll have to see exactly how much rain is expected on Saturday. I suspect the forecast means they know a thunderstorm will hit but not sure when right now. I'm in the same boat. I'm thinking of going to Canada's Wonderland on Sunday now and doing Waldameer on Saturday. I've visited Waldameer on a day when it was torrentially downpouring on a weekday and I was one of like 10 people in the park, but they stayed open almost all day.

Unless I missed it (or their attendance was too low), are the Dubai Parks not covered in the regions on this report? I'm not surprised based on their future, but the SeaWorld parks had quite the jump.

Great report! At least Sesame Place does unaccompanied adults a favor and slaps the two coasters by the main entrance. Story Land decided to plop Roar-o-saurus in the back so I have to walk past 4-5 playgrounds to reach it. Good to know Oscar's Wacky Taxi operates in the cold. I debated stopping in again when I went to HITP last year but wasn't sure if 30 degrees was too cold for the grouch.

Wow that Chance Morgan coaster is a lot bigger than I expected.

Another article is claiming there was a bigger protest going on near Marineland on Saturday. The Standard Link In positive news, this also caught my eye from the article. Anyone who has been to Marineland knows just far it is between attractions. Those trains will be much appreciated! I remember being envious of the employees blowing past us on golf carts.

I'm still surprised they'd spoil the drop track, but it sounds good in promotional material so I guess that's why they did that.

Assuming the drop track on this coaster is identical to the one on Thirteen, I felt no difference between the Zierer and Intamin versions of the element.

Parc Saint Paul - Family Coaster has closed. - Karting has closed. - Mississippi River has been renamed Bateau Mississippi. - Terror Festival has closed. My report includes the following new rides: - Aerotrain - Dino Disk'o Coaster (under construction) - Escala'Gliss - Pomme (note this is different than the old Family Coaster per RCDB) My report includes the signs for the following rides: - Chateau Hante (sign) - Formule 1 - Mini Mouse Cartoon Below are photos/signs for the following rides: - Aqua Splash - Arche de Noe (sign) - Chaises Aeriennes (sign) - Pedalos Cygnes - Safari Trip (non cutoff sign) Aqua Splash Aqua Splash Arche de Noe sign Chaises Aeriennes sign Safari Trip (non-cutoff sign) Pedalos Cygnes

Verbolten doesn't count because it's in Germany, silly. I like this reason better why Universal is claiming it's America's first.

I decided to do some digging to see if Universal could get off on a technicality. I know enthusiasts have argued if things are a true freefall or a controlled drop in the past. Maybe Universal was claiming Verbolten's wasn't a true freefall? But per the Zierer website, their drop track does include a portion of the drop that is a true freefall. Zierer Drop Track

^ Honestly I felt more terrified on that spinning, swinging playground thing considering it had zero restraints.

The new wooden coaster was probably enough to get me to go there considering how much I like Roar-o-saurus and Oscar's Wacky Taxi, but that Formule 1 POV sealed the deal. It's so screwed up!

Wow 7 launches? I was already impressed by the animatronics I've seen but the coaster bit sounds quite exciting as well. As an aside, is Verbolten's drop track not considered a true freefall?

Parc Saint Paul Parc Saint Paul was one of those parks where I was genuinely terrified my GPS led me the wrong way. Even when I was 1 minute from my destination, I saw no signs of a park. No rides visible, no signage, nothing, nada, zip. But in Google Maps I trust and it found this park beyond the endless farmland. I made it. I could have easily spent a half day at Parc Saint Paul, but I only had 2 hours. With an afternoon flight, it was the only way to squeeze the park in without sacrificing time at the other parks. Ultimately I was ok with that since my priorities were Wood Express and the two Pax coasters. Anything else would be gravy. Thankfully lines were on my side. I only waited in two all day- Wood Express and security. The latter was actually the fault of guests. To be a guard at this park, I think you must be a minimum of 90 inches. No that's not a typo. The guards are taller than NBA players! So not surprisingly, guests posed for pictures. The security guards are basically the Kingda Ka equivalent for human beings. I started with gravy. En route to the main course, the wacky worm was loading. I couldn't say no to those big googly eyes. I was optimistic this one would be as surprising as the one at Nigloland, but Pomme wasn't close. This one actually had working lap bars and brakes. 2 out of 10 This wasn't even the saddest credit at the park. More on that in a bit. I popped my Pax virginity with Wild Train. Before RMC took the coaster community by storm with transitions so effed up that they're awesome, there was Pax. When I originally booked this trip, I wasn't expecting Wild Train to be anything more than a lawn ornament since it was SBNO all last year. But it reopened this year much to my delight. The first drop was certainly wild. It was steeper than you'd think and very reminiscent of Skull Mountain's. While the rest of the ride never came close to replicating that level of airtime, the subsequent turnarounds had solid laterals and the final two hills had some decent floater air. It may look like a family coaster, but it sure doesn't ride like one (as long as you ride in the back). 7 out of 10 Wild Train is appropriately named. Are we sure Alan Schilke didn't originally work for Pax? The other Pax coaster is best described as the child of a wild mouse that gets drunk with a RMC. Formule 1 is the living embodiment ot Pax and I'd really like to know what they were thinking when they designed this contraption. It just doesn't look right. It begins with what may be the steepest non-vertical lift in existence. The first drop didn't do much, but the second drop had a good pop of air. But it's easy to forget about this part because of the third drop. Holy Schilke is that drop crazy. It was El Toro Rolling Thunder hill levels of airtime. But it's far from a one-trick pony as that's followed by a screwed up double up. Most double-ups aren't overly steep. This one has like a 60 degree angle of ascent. This creates some wild airtime on the first part and a gentle pop at the top. The fun then continues with the outward banked turns. These are taken so slowly that you are pinned to the side of the car. Then it's back to the airtime. You have a strong pop off the hairpin turns and then a little hill with sustained ejector air. It's the perfect finale to one heck of a bizarre coaster. This is undoubtedly the best wild mouse because of its raw, untamed nature. 8 out of 10 Note the outward banking on the hairpin turns. This drop is absolutely bonkers. There aren't many reports from Parc Saint Paul, but the few out there all mentioned Wood Express opening late. With limited time, this was a big concern of mine. Prior to my visit, I messaged the park and they assured me the coaster would open with the park. This was a half-truth. The coaster was running; however, not to regular guests. A lucky group seemed to be having ERT on it. Everyone else was held back at the entrance while the same group kept reriding it over and over. Having an ERT session during normal park hours was odd, but something I understand. I just find it hard to believe that the park didn't know about it the day before when I contacted them. This was certainly a complication. I did not plan for an ERT session. I doubled back to ride the spinning mouse, Souris Verte. This one was heavily braked, but I got some great spinning thanks to a solo ride. I even got a good pop of air on the final bunny hill. 5 out of 10 This was slow as molasses, but it sure did spin. After the Dinosaurs Alive ripoff at Nigloland, I found a Jurassic Park River Adventure ripoff at Parc Saint Paul. Dino Splash was a fairly compact log flume decked out with a dozen dino statues and extensive rock work. It was far more than I expected from a small park. The first drop was a double down with a surpirse pop of air. That seems to be the theme with Parc Saint Paul. The final drop wasn't anything special, but it did do something. It sent a Jurassic sized wall of water into the boat and got me soaked. 8.5 out of 10 Dinos + log flume? Yes please! Oddly enough, this is more soaking than the Jurassic Park River Adventure. It also looks like the park is extending the dino theme as well to the nearby Disko coaster currently under construction. Ah the track jump, a Roller Coaster Tycoon staple. At this point I saw Wood Express had new riders, so I made my way over there. I think a quarter of the park did the same as it boasted an astronomical (by this park's standards) 15-20 minute wait. I was only able to ride it twice for this reason- once in the front and once in the back. Wood Express is a mix of taller camelbacks (taller being 25-30 feet tall) with floater air and little speed hills with ejector pops. Every single hill on the ride delivered some sort of airtime. The frenetic nature of the ride makes it feel way faster than it actually is. These Gravity Group compact woodies are airtime machines. This one doesn't have the brute intensity of Mine Blower, but it compares favorably to Roar-o-Saurus. 8.5 out of 10 These mini woodies are Gravity Group's niche. I don't think there's a single hill without airtime. Wood Express's line grew further, so I decided to finish my visit by completing the loop around the park. This led me to the Chateau Hante walkthrough. I was expecting some type of ride, but instead I found a walkthrough. There were no scare actors, but there were a dozen scenes. About a quarter of them had terrifyingly loud jump scares. I'm not sure if they were all supposed to activate, but not knowing whether or not they would made it scarier. 6 out of 10 Europe sure does love their haunted walkthroughs. I've seen the next ride listed as a coaster on some sites, but I think that's a stretch. Telepheriques looks like an elongated version of a swing you'd find at the local playground. It was a 100% unmanned, do-it-yourself attraction you'd never find back in the US and it was deceptively dizzying. The ride never travels faster than 5 mph. If you lean forwards, you can pull yourself forwards a bit faster. Because you're literally on a circular disk attached to a rope, this will cause you to spin like a top. I bet you can guess what I did. 6 out of 10 WTF is this dizzying contraption? I also tried this weird looking volcano slide (Escala'Gliss) I often see in Toverland TRs. Those with big feet may have an advantage elsewhere, but they're SOL trying to climb this thing. The footholds and handholds are fit for an elf. I went with the ninja warrior approach and tried to run up but failed miserably. Still it was fun to try since this is another never in America attraction. I failed spectacularly trying to climb this and went booty over tea kettle. I also made sure to ride this sad, sad kiddie coaster. I figured I'd be the only adult without a kid shamefully riding this coaster. However, due to a full train, I had to share my seat with another adult who interestingly also did not have a child. I suspect he may have been with the group riding Wood Express in the morning. Just a hunch. 1 out of 10 I see what they did there with the name. On the way out, I grabbed a quick lap on Aerotrain, the park's roller skater. This one has a custom layout since it was relocated from an indoor park, but ultimately I think I prefer the more compact original. This one had a little yank on the first drop, but did nothing else of interest. 3 out of 10 Look at that terrifying first drop. Fun fact, this coaster used to exist in a mall. It was definitely tempting to squeeze in an extra reride or two on Wood Express or Formule 1, but I would have missed my flight. I arrived at the airport 3 hours in advance, but that still almost wasn't enough time. It was one wait after another (returning the car, check-in, passport control, security). I had longer lines there than at Disneyland. Parc Saint Paul is an interesting park. For a smaller park, it has a boatload of coasters. But beyond that, it has a nice wooded setting and an undeniable charm. Next time in Paris, I'll try to give this park the half day it deserves. Parc Saint Paul was really nice! I mean, they have a dude in an outhouse that spits at you. What's not to love?

Boulder Dash!

Thanks! Sounds like it'll be quite the disorienting ride. As for the light trickling in, I'm not too surprised. I remember hearing the old Joker's Wildcard was like that.

^ Ah ok hopefully it starts running soon. I can't remember the last time I was able to ride it.

Did anyone make it out to SFNE for Cyborg's commercial shoot? I'm intrigued to hear both how the ride is.